Tags:Aortic stenosis, Finite element modelling, Fluid-structure interaction analysis, Percutaneous procedures and Valvuloplasty balloons
Abstract:
Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV), a minimally invasive intervention, uses a balloon catheter to dilate the narrowed aortic valve as pre-dilatation or post-dilatation during the treatments of aortic stenosis. However, the instability of the inflated balloon by blocking the pulsating blood flow and the cardiac contraction causes the risk of tissue damage. Although a technique named rapid ventricle pacing (RVP) has been introduced to reduce the cardiac output for balloon stabilisation during its inflation, RVP is still associated with several complications. Several studies have introduced new balloon designs considering non-occlusive configuration to improve the stability of the balloon catheter, but sufficient data and understanding of their clinical outcome are still required. Therefore, using a commercially available valvuloplasty balloon catheter to achieve stability and avoid the use of RVP is worth to be investigated. In this study, to study the level of balloon inflation that allows for its stabilization during heart systole, a Finite Element (FE) model of the balloon catheter is created to simulate inflation and deflation procedures. Then, a Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) model is used to simulate how the displacement of the balloon along the aortic root varied by the different internal volumes under the blood flow.
Understanding Different Inflated Balloon Catheter Behaviours via Computational Modelling