Mechanical modelling of the natural aortic valve computer simulations toward clinical applications

在加拿大，每年有数千人死于主动脉瓣疾病，与许多其他国家一样，由于人口老龄化，主动脉瓣疾病病例的数量迅速增长。主动脉瓣疾病部分与组织中存在显著程度的变形或应力有关。由于缺乏适当的验证，到目前为止，主动脉瓣的数值模拟最多只能是近似的。该研究计划旨在通过创建和验证正常主动脉瓣的前沿结构模型来改善这种情况，该模型实际上将构成一个数值基准，其参数可以很容易地改变以探索多种假设情景。一旦适当建立，该基准将用于研究诸如衰老、高血压、主动脉狭窄和主动脉根部扩张等变化对主动脉瓣功能的机械影响。在平行研究中，该基准还将用于探索并尽可能减少各种瓣膜修复和置换手术对主动脉瓣功能的机械影响。将寻求渥太华大学心脏研究所（UOHI）的心脏病专家和心脏外科医生的医学专业知识和患者数据，以最大限度地提高研究的临床和外科相关性。通过强调基于实验和临床数据的模型验证，提出的研究计划代表了对更准确和有用的模型的独特努力，这将有利于基础科学和应用科学，具有深远的临床和外科应用。反过来，加拿大的医疗保健和生物工程公司都将从该计划中获利。

In Canada, several thousand deaths are associated with aortic valve disease each year and, as in many other countries, the number of aortic valve disease cases grows rapidly due to the aging of the population. Aortic valvular diseases are related in part to the presence of outstanding levels of deformation or stress in the tissues. The numerical simulation of the aortic valve so far has been approximate at best, for lack of proper validation. The proposed research program aims at improving this situation by creating and validating a leading-edge structural model of the normal aortic valve, which in effect will constitute a numerical benchmark whose parameters can readily be changed to explore multiple what-if scenarios. Once properly established, the benchmark will then be used to investigate the mechanical impact on the aortic valve function of alterations such as aging, hypertension, aortic stenosis and aortic root dilatation. In a parallel line of research, the benchmark will also be used to explore and possibly minimize the mechanical impact on the aortic valve function of various surgical procedures for valve repair and replacement. Input from cardiologists and cardiac surgeons from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) will be sought for medical expertise and patient data in order to maximize the clinical and surgical relevance of the research. By emphasizing model validation based on experimental and clinical data, the proposed research program represents a distinct effort toward more accurate and useful modelling, which will benefit both basic and applied sciences, with far-reaching clinical and surgical applications. In turn, both Canadian healthcare and bioengineering companies will profit from the program.