In Vitro Validation of a Numerical Simulation of Leaflet Kinematics in a Polymeric Aortic Valve Under Physiological Conditions

This paper describes a computational method to simulate the non-linear structural deformation of a polymeric aortic valve under physiological conditions. Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method is incorporated in the fluid-structure interaction simulation, and then validated by comparing the predicted kinematics of the valve's leaflets to in vitro measurements on a custom-made polymeric aortic valve. The predicted kinematics of the valve's leaflets was in good agreement with the experimental results with a maximum error of 15% in a single cardiac cycle. The fluid-structure interaction model presented in this study can simulate structural behaviour of a stented valve with flexible leaflets, providing insight into the haemodynamic performance of a polymeric aortic valve.