Huang Hsiao-Ying Shadow, Huang Siyao
Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2012;2012:6653-6. doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2012.6347520.
Previous studies show that the collagen fiber architecture is key to the heart valves tissue mechanical property. We report a real-time strain mapping approach that provides displacement vectors and principal strain directions during the mechanical characterization of heart valve tissues. The strain maps reported in the current study allows an individual to quickly identify the approximate strain imposed on a location of the sample. The result shows that when samples are biaxially stretched under 18% strain, less anisotropy is observed in both aortic and pulmonary valve leaflet samples. Moreover, when samples are stretched from 28% to 35%, pulmonary valves leaflet samples exhibits a stronger anisotropic effect than aortic valve. Therefore, a higher degree of straightening is required for collagen fibers to be fully aligned. This work provides an easy approach to quantify mechanical properties with the corresponding strain maps of heart valve tissues and potentially facilitates the developments of tissue engineering heart valves.
