Flat or curved pericardial aortic valve cusps: a finite element study.

Background And Aim Of The Study: The finite element method (FEM) has frequently been used to investigate the behavior of the aortic valve, but studies on the performance and behavior of free-hand autologous pericardial aortic valves reconstructed using specially designed valve molds have not been performed. The study aim was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a three-dimensional (3-D) cusp of the authors' design (H-Mold) versus a two-dimensional (2-D) (flat) cusp using a FEM to compare stress distribution and leaflet contact properties.

Methods: Solid models of the aortic root and valve cusps were constructed using a computer-aided design package.