Key result
Increasing prosthetic aortic valve leaflet aspect ratio reduces geometric orifice area ~72% and elevates stress.
Why the study?
The geometric configuration of a prosthetic aortic valve determines its mechanical response and hemodynamics, motivating physical insight into geometric effects on valve design.
Computational modeling demonstrates that increasing the aspect ratio of prosthetic aortic valve leaflets negatively impacts mechanical stress and hemodynamic profiles, increasing stress and reducing orifice area.
The geometric configuration of prosthetic aortic valve is a key determinant of its mechanical response and associated hemodynamics during the cardiac cycle. In this work, high-fidelity fluid–structure interaction (FSI) analysis is conducted to provide physical insight into the effects of geometry on valve design. We integrate the data from the Doppler experiments and the Windkessel model for the inlet velocity and outlet pressure conditions, respectively. The arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) method is employed to address the two-way interaction between hyperelastic leaflets undergoing periodic large deformation and the surrounding blood flow. The effects of leaflet aspect ratio (AR) and blood non-Newtonian properties on mechanical performance are systematically investigated. The FSI analysis shows that increasing AR elevates von Mises stress, wall shear stress (WSS), blood velocity magnitude, transvalvular pressure gradient (TPG), and regurgitation fraction (RF), while reducing geometric orifice area (GOA). These trends are opposite to the results from pure structural mechanical analysis. As AR increases from 0.86 to 1.26, the maximum von Mises stress increases by 58.66%, whereas GOA decreases by 71.54%. For the AR = 1.26 valve, the jet deviates from the centerline toward the lower vessel wall during peak systole and the subsequent deceleration phase, resulting in asymmetric deformation.
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Zhang et al. (2026) studied Prosthetic aortic valve design. Leaflet aspect ratio (AR) vs. Lower aspect ratio was evaluated on Mechanical performance and hemodynamics (von Mises stress, geometric orifice area). Increasing the leaflet aspect ratio from 0.86 to 1.26 in prosthetic aortic valves increased maximum von Mises stress by 58.66% and decreased geometric orifice area by 71.54%.
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