Influence of valve size on the hemodynamic performance of a tissue-engineered valved conduit in pulmonary position

IntroductionTissue Engineering (TE) uses resorbable polymers to promote in-situ cellular growth, transforming the implant into a living valve. This study characterizes the three-dimensional flow field around TE valved conduits of varying sizes using a pulse duplicator with tomo-PIV imaging.MethodsTh...

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Main Authors: Lorenzo Ferrari, Martijn Cox, Dominik Obrist
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1629362/full
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author Lorenzo Ferrari
Martijn Cox
Dominik Obrist
author_facet Lorenzo Ferrari
Martijn Cox
Dominik Obrist
author_sort Lorenzo Ferrari
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionTissue Engineering (TE) uses resorbable polymers to promote in-situ cellular growth, transforming the implant into a living valve. This study characterizes the three-dimensional flow field around TE valved conduits of varying sizes using a pulse duplicator with tomo-PIV imaging.MethodsThree Xeltis Pulmonary Valve (XPV) conduits (16, 18, and 20 mm) were tested under pulmonary conditions at a cardiac output of 5 L/min. Flow velocities, trans-valvular pressure gradients (TVPGs), effective orifice areas EOAs, mean and turbulent kinetic energies (mke and tke), and viscous shear stresses were measured proximal and distal to the valves.ResultsPeak bulk velocity was 0.5, 0.4, and 0.3 m/s, with local peak velocities reaching 2.3, 1.9, and 1.4 m/s upstream and 3.6, 3.1, and 2.5 m/s in the jet downstream of XPV16, XPV18, and XPV20, respectively. Respective EOAs were 1.02, 1.25, and 1.57 cm2. The flow field proximal to the valve conduits did not show any significant perturbations and tke was one order of magnitude lower than mke. As the flow passed the valve, mke increased by 152%, 175%, and 218% for XPV16, XPV18, and XPV20, respectively, while tke increased by 62%, 138%, and 161%. The respective probability of encountering elevated shear stresses (>10Pa) was 6%, 2%, and less than 1%.DiscussionThis work provides the first in-vitro experimental assessment of the XPV valve, along with an exploration of how valve size affects its hemodynamic performance. Results confirm that for a given hemodynamic condition, larger valves exhibit better performance showing lower flow velocities, TVPGs, kinetic energies, and stresses, along with higher EOAs.
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spelling doaj-art-c86c465e19af45a7a3da9ebf9331d0b72025-08-26T05:28:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology2296-41852025-08-011310.3389/fbioe.2025.16293621629362Influence of valve size on the hemodynamic performance of a tissue-engineered valved conduit in pulmonary positionLorenzo Ferrari0Martijn Cox1Dominik Obrist2ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandXeltis BV, Eindhoven, NetherlandsARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandIntroductionTissue Engineering (TE) uses resorbable polymers to promote in-situ cellular growth, transforming the implant into a living valve. This study characterizes the three-dimensional flow field around TE valved conduits of varying sizes using a pulse duplicator with tomo-PIV imaging.MethodsThree Xeltis Pulmonary Valve (XPV) conduits (16, 18, and 20 mm) were tested under pulmonary conditions at a cardiac output of 5 L/min. Flow velocities, trans-valvular pressure gradients (TVPGs), effective orifice areas EOAs, mean and turbulent kinetic energies (mke and tke), and viscous shear stresses were measured proximal and distal to the valves.ResultsPeak bulk velocity was 0.5, 0.4, and 0.3 m/s, with local peak velocities reaching 2.3, 1.9, and 1.4 m/s upstream and 3.6, 3.1, and 2.5 m/s in the jet downstream of XPV16, XPV18, and XPV20, respectively. Respective EOAs were 1.02, 1.25, and 1.57 cm2. The flow field proximal to the valve conduits did not show any significant perturbations and tke was one order of magnitude lower than mke. As the flow passed the valve, mke increased by 152%, 175%, and 218% for XPV16, XPV18, and XPV20, respectively, while tke increased by 62%, 138%, and 161%. The respective probability of encountering elevated shear stresses (>10Pa) was 6%, 2%, and less than 1%.DiscussionThis work provides the first in-vitro experimental assessment of the XPV valve, along with an exploration of how valve size affects its hemodynamic performance. Results confirm that for a given hemodynamic condition, larger valves exhibit better performance showing lower flow velocities, TVPGs, kinetic energies, and stresses, along with higher EOAs.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1629362/fullheart valvetomo-PIVin-vitroshear stressesshake-the-box
spellingShingle Lorenzo Ferrari
Martijn Cox
Dominik Obrist
Influence of valve size on the hemodynamic performance of a tissue-engineered valved conduit in pulmonary position
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
heart valve
tomo-PIV
in-vitro
shear stresses
shake-the-box
title Influence of valve size on the hemodynamic performance of a tissue-engineered valved conduit in pulmonary position
title_full Influence of valve size on the hemodynamic performance of a tissue-engineered valved conduit in pulmonary position
title_fullStr Influence of valve size on the hemodynamic performance of a tissue-engineered valved conduit in pulmonary position
title_full_unstemmed Influence of valve size on the hemodynamic performance of a tissue-engineered valved conduit in pulmonary position
title_short Influence of valve size on the hemodynamic performance of a tissue-engineered valved conduit in pulmonary position
title_sort influence of valve size on the hemodynamic performance of a tissue engineered valved conduit in pulmonary position
topic heart valve
tomo-PIV
in-vitro
shear stresses
shake-the-box
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1629362/full
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AT dominikobrist influenceofvalvesizeonthehemodynamicperformanceofatissueengineeredvalvedconduitinpulmonaryposition