In-vitro benchmarking of currently available heart valve prostheses for surgical and percutaneous treatment of aortic stenosis with small annulus, followed by in-vivo validation

Funder: Unione Europea – Next Generation EU; Ministero della Salute – PNNR

Duration of funding: 2024 – 2026

Grant ID: PNRR-MCNT2-2023-12378350

Lead institution: IRCCS Policlinico San Donato

Partners: Regione Puglia – Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico Bari

Project description

Aortic valve replacement in patients with small aortic annulus represents a challenge about device and techniques of implantation, with the aim to obtain the best possible haemodynamic performances and long-term durability, while minimizing procedural risk.
The goal of the study is testing hydrodynamic performances of different aortic valve prostheses, according to the technique of implantation for surgical prostheses and the valve-in-valve position for transcatheter prostheses.
Performances will be assessed in a dedicated in-vitro setup measuring pressure gradients, flow patterns and leaflet motion under a fully controlled environment. The in vitro setup will be adapted for compatibility with 4D Flow MRI, providing the visualization of blood velocity patterns and quantitative hemodynamic metrics. The combination of these two techniques allows for the complete characterization of selected heart valves prostheses.
Finally, in-vivo validation using patient data will confirm the clinical applicability of our findings and help identify potential confounding factors to be addressed in future studies.