Bioprosthetic heart valve leaflet motion monitored by dual camera stereo photogrammetry

Dual camera stereo photogrammetry (DCSP) was applied to investigate the leaflet motion of bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) in a physiologic pulse flow loop (PFL). A 25-mm bovine pericardial valve was installed in the aortic valve position of the PFL, which was operated at a pulse rate of 70 beats/min and a cardiac output of 5 l/min. The systolic/diastolic aortic pressure was maintained at 120/80 mmHg to mimic the physiologic load experienced by the aortic valve. The leaflet of the test valve was marked with 80 India ink dots to form a fan-shaped matrix. From the acquired image sequences, 3-D coordinates of the marker matrix were derived and hence the surface contour, local mean and Gaussian curvatures at each opening and closing phase during one cardiac cycle were reconstructed. It is generally believed that the long-term failure rate of BHV is related to the uneven distribution of mechanical stresses occurring in the leaflet material during opening and closing. Unfortunately, a quantitative analysis of the leaflet motion under physiological conditions has not been reported. The newly developed technique permits frame-by-frame mapping of the leaflet surface, which is essential for dynamic analysis of stress–strain behavior in BHV.