Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart disease. Itis related to an increased prevalence of ascending aortic dilatation and aneurysm in normally functioning valvular regime when compared to tricuspid aortic valve (TAV).
The pathogenesis of aortic dilatation in patients with BAV is nowadays uncertain. A first hypothesis postulates a genetic origin for these vascular complications, a second one states that the abnormal hemodynamics observed could predispose to an enlargement of the ascending aorta
The research focused on the study of the second hypothesis, in particolar highlighting the great asimmetry of the systolic jet, the formation of flow reversal and possibly of helicoidal patterns, and high wall shear stresses.
The inclusion of the aortic valve leafltes in the computational models allowed to evaluate their effect on the fluid-dynamics
Publications:
- Viscardi F., Vergara C., Antiga L., Merelli S., Veneziani A., Puppini G., Faggian G., Mazzucco A., Luciani G.B., Comparative finite-element model analysis of ascending aortic flow in bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve. Artificial Organs., 34(12), pp. 1114-1120, 2010.
- Vergara C., Viscardi F., Antiga L., Luciani G.B., Influence of bicuspid valve geometry on ascending aortic fluid-dynamics: a parametric study. Artificial Organs , 36(4), pp 368-378, 2012.
- E. Faggiano, L. Antiga, G. Puppini, A. Quarteroni, G.B. Luciani, C. Vergara, Helical Flows and Asymmetry of Blood Jet in Dilated Ascending Aorta with Normally Functioning Bicuspid Valve. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 12(4), pp. 801-813, 2013
- Bonomi D., Vergara C., Faggiano E., Stevanella M., Conti C., Redaelli A., Puppini G., Faggian G., Formaggia L., Luciani G.B., Influence of the aortic valve leaflets on the fluid-dynamics in aorta in presence of a normally functioning bicuspid valve. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 14(6), pp.1349–1361, 2015
Thesis
- D. Bonomi – Numerical study of the influence of aortic valve leaflets in the fluid-dynamics in ascending aorta , MSc in Mathematical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Accademic year ’12-’13. Advisors: L. Formaggia and C. Vergara
