Figure 1.
The pictures of the stentless QMV and the stented TMV.
The stentless QMV (a) consists of a large anterior and two commissural and one posterior cusp, with two papillary flaps supporting the anterior and posterior leaflet. A stented TMV (b) has a relatively rigid stent in a generally cylindrical configuration with three adjacent semi-lunar leaflets.
Figure 2.
The finite elements mesh divisions of the stentless QMV and the stented TMV.
The stentless valve leaflet (a) geometry contains 630 elements, and the stented valve (b) geometry contains 531 elements.
Figure 3.
Schematic diagrams of the deformed configuration in the stentless QMV and the stented TMV.
Figure 4.
The representative moiré pattern and contour diagram of the first principal stress under the open condition.
The red areas represent the high stress, whereas the blue areas are low stress. For the stentless valve (left), limited stress concentration was manifest at the lateral margin of the root of the papillary flaps (regions labeled as “C” and “D”). In the stented valve (right), the region of maximum stress concentration occurred at the central belly (regions labeled as “I” and “H”).
Figure 5.
The representative moiré pattern and contour diagram of the second principal stress under the open condition.
The red areas represent the high stress, whereas the blue areas are low stress. The stress concentration in the stentless valve (left) is evident at the leaflet belly and free margin by the support of the papillary flaps (regions labeled as “E” and “F”). The maximum second principal stress in the stented valve (right) is located at the center of leaflet belly (regions labeled as “I” and “H”).
Figure 6.
The representative moiré pattern and contour diagram of the first principal stress in the closed condition.
The red areas represent the high stress, whereas the blue areas are low stress. Limited stress concentration is discretely distributed in the papillary flaps of the stentless valve (left, regions labeled as “D” and “E”). In contrast, the region of maximum stress concentration for the stented valve (right) is located near the commissural attachment (regions labeled as “I” and “D”).
Figure 7.
The representative directional diagram of the first principal stress in the closed condition.
The red arrowheads indicate the direction of first principal stress conduction within the valve leaflet. Calcification of a stented valve (bottom right) was found most frequently near the commissures (red arrow), less frequently in the belly and free margin, and least frequently at the attachment edge.
Figure 8.
The representative moiré pattern and contour diagram of the second principal stress in the closed condition.
The red areas represent the high stress, whereas the blue areas are low stress. For the stentless valve (left), the stress concentration was observed to at the attachment edge in the anterior leaflet and at the middle of papillary flaps in the posterior anterior (regions labeled as “I” and “H”). In the stented valve (right), the region of maximum stress concentration was in the center of the leaflet belly (regions labeled as “I” and “H”).