Alex S Hong1, Emilie Bollache1, Pim van Ooij1, James C Carr1, Alex J Barker1, Jeremy D Collins1, and Michael Markl2
1Department of Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States, 2Department of Radiology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is an effective surgical approach to
treating aortic valvular disease, but it is unclear if and what type of
prosthesis can fully reproduce physiologically normal flow characteristic of a
native aortic valve. We utilized 4D
flow MRI to systematically compare blood flow in the thoracic aorta in post-AVR
(bioprosthetic vs. mechanical) patients and healthy controls. Both
bioprosthetic and mechanical valves were found to produce higher peak systolic flow
velocities and peak wall shear stress in the ascending aorta than native valves,
demonstrating the presence of significant changes in aortic blood flow in AVR
patients.
