Endothelial repair process and its relevance to longitudinal neointimal tissue patterns: comparing histology with in silico modelling.

Re-establishing a functional endothelium following endovascular treatment is an important factor in arresting neointimal proliferation. In this study, both histology (in vivo) and computational simulations (in silico) are used to evaluate neointimal growth patterns within coronary arteries along the axial direction of the stent. Comparison of the growth configurations in vivo and in silico was undertaken to identify candidate mechanisms for endothelial repair.

Fundamental mechanics of aortic heart valve closure.

Stresses in a prosthetic heart valve at closure are determined by its geometrical and structural characteristics, by the mechanical support environment, and by the momentum of the valve leaflets or occluder and of the blood at the instant of closure. The mass of blood to be arrested is significantly greater than that of the leaflets or occluder, and is therefore likely to dominate the closure impulse. The kinetic energy of the blood must be transduced into potential energy in the structural components (valve leaflets, aortic root and aorta).