a computational model of aging and calcification in the aortic heart valve计算模型的老化和主动脉心脏瓣膜钙化.pdfVIP

A Computational Model of Aging and Calcification in the Aortic Heart Valve 1 2,3 1 Eli J. Weinberg , Frederick J. Schoen , Mohammad R. K. Mofrad * 1 Molecular Cell Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America, 2 Departments of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, 3 Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America Abstract The aortic heart valve undergoes geometric and mechanical changes over time. The cusps of a normal, healthy valve thicken and become less extensible over time. In the disease calcific aortic stenosis (CAS), calcified nodules progressively stiffen the cusps. The local mechanical changes in the cusps, due to either normal aging or pathological processes, affect overall function of the valve. In this paper, we propose a computational model for the aging aortic valve that connects local changes to overall valve function. We extend a previous model for the healthy valve to describe aging. To model normal/ uncomplicated aging, leaflet thickness and extensibility are varied versus age according to experimental data. To model calcification, initial sites are defined and a simple growth law is assumed. The nodules then grow over time, so that the area of calcification increases from one model to the next model representing greater age. Overall valve function is recorded for each individual model to yield a single simulation of valve function over time. This simulation is the first theoretical tool to describe the temporal behavior of aortic valve calcification. The ability to better understa