In-vitro comparative study by MRI and DPIV of flow through normal and thrombosed bileaflet aortic valve: Velocity and vorticity mapping and shear stress analysis

Although a proposed advantage of bileaflet mechanical valves is that if one leaflet is thrombosed shut, the second leaflet may continue to function normally, clinical experience suggests that patients with one thrombosed leaflet demonstrate impaired opening of the second leaflet and therefore, extremely high levels of wall shear stress. Our goal was to quantitatively assess the flow field generated by a thrombosed valve versus a normal bileaflet valve.