Towards the Development of a 3-D Aortic Valve for Hydrodynamic Evaluation

Towards the Development of a 3-D Aortic Valve for Hydrodynamic Evaluation

Aortic Valve Disease occurs when an individual’s aortic valve does not function at its optimum level. AVD can be divided into two types: stenosis and regurgitation. AVD stenosis occurs when the leaflets of the aortic valve do not open all the way, restricting blood flow into the aorta. AVD regurgitation occurs when the leaflets don’t close all the way, allowing blood to flow back into the heart. The disruption in regular blood flow could lead to heart failure. The purpose of this experiment was to create a replica of an aortic valve using 3D printing methods for subsequent hydrodynamic evaluation. 3D aortic valve models were obtained and recreated using open source models available from the literature.