Comparison of approaches for assessing aortic valve leaflet dynamics with and without blood flow effects

Pil N.E., Kuchumov A.G.
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Aortic stenosis and other forms of aortic valve dysfunction are associated with impaired intracardiac hemodynamics, left ventricular overload, and an increased risk of cardiovascular complications. Assessment of valve function requires not only integral clinical indicators but also local mechanical and hemodynamic characteristics, which, as a rule, cannot be measured directly in vivo. Therefore, mathematical modeling is regarded as one of the main tools for the quantitative analysis of the aortic valve. Despite the widespread use of various deformable-solid models and coupled fluid-structure interaction formulations, FSI, for describing leaflet dynamics, the limits of applicability of simplified formulations relative to the fully coupled problem remain insufficiently defined. In this study, an idealized model of the aortic root with the sinuses of Valsalva and a tricuspid valve was considered. The leaflets were described using an anisotropic hyperelastic material model. Five computational scenarios were compared, including a fully coupled FSI formulation that accounts for both solid and fluid dynamics, as well as a deformable-solid model with four loading variants replacing the effect of blood flow, differing in the way pressure was represented and in the direction of load application to the leaflets. The comparison criteria included deformation, displacement, von Mises stress, leaflet oscillatory dynamics, and the geometric opening area of the valve. It was shown that the FSI model provides the most consistent description of valve function, including asymmetric leaflet opening, smoother opening dynamics, and the absence of pronounced nonphysiological flutter. Structural formulations with loads applied along the local normal to the leaflet surface lead to overestimation of deformation and stress, as well as to more pronounced oscillatory regimes. Scenarios with restricted load direction produce a more moderate response, but they also fail to reproduce the spatial load structure and the temporal organization of leaflet opening. It was concluded that, in aortic valve modeling, not only the magnitude of the pressure difference but also the way it is applied to the leaflets in space and time is of decisive importance. Structural deformable-solid models may be used for the qualitative assessment of selected mechanical trends, but they cannot serve as a full substitute for the FSI formulation in the analysis of leaflet kinematics, oscillatory regimes, stress-strain state, and valve opening dynamics.

Keywords: aortic valve, fluid-structure interaction, finite element analysis, leaflet mechanics, valve kinematics
Citation in English: Pil N.E., Kuchumov A.G. Comparison of approaches for assessing aortic valve leaflet dynamics with and without blood flow effects // Computer Research and Modeling, 2026, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 675-695
Citation in English: Pil N.E., Kuchumov A.G. Comparison of approaches for assessing aortic valve leaflet dynamics with and without blood flow effects // Computer Research and Modeling, 2026, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 675-695
DOI: 10.20537/2076-7633-2026-18-3-675-695
URL: http://crm-en.ics.org.ru/journal/article/3739/
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Copyright © 2026 Pil N.E., Kuchumov A.G.

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