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In silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.

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Main Author: Grobler, Lindi
Other Authors: Laubscher, R.
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2026
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access_status_str Open Access
author Grobler, Lindi
author2 Laubscher, R.
author_browse Grobler, Lindi
Laubscher, R.
author_facet Laubscher, R.
Grobler, Lindi
author_sort Grobler, Lindi
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
format Thesis
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institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:44:07.837Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
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spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136048 In silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis Grobler, Lindi Laubscher, R. Van der Merwe, J. Herbst, P. G. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering. Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Grobler, L. 2026. In silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/833655f2-c991-46d7-8728-cef97098a96a Aortic stenosis (AS) is a valvular heart disease characterised by the narrowing of the aortic valve opening that restricts blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta. AS is caused by different pathologies that each result in a specific valve opening morphology. The most common types of AS are degenerative or calcific AS caused by the calcification of the valve leaflets, rheumatic AS caused by rheumatic heart disease that results in commissural fusion of the leaflets, and congenital or bicuspid AS where the valve has two leaflets instead of three. The severity of AS is classified by the degree of valve obstruction and the resulting haemodynamic environment in terms of, amongst other parameters, the mean transvalvular pressure gradient (TPG) and the peak aortic jet velocity. The gold standard for determining these parameters is through non-invasive echocardiography with Doppler interrogation where the jet velocity is measured and the TPG estimated using the simplified Bernoulli equation. The simplified Bernoulli equation is derived from the Bernoulli equation and relates the pressure gradient across the valve to the velocity of the blood flowing through the valve. As the simplified Bernoulli equation is insensitive to the morphology of the valve, the effect that different AS pathologies have on the haemodynamic environment is not well understood, and the inherent limitations of the simplified Bernoulli equation in estimating the TPG in different AS pathologies are not well characterised. In this study, the haemodynamic environment of calcific and rheumatic AS is investigated in silico through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and fluid-structure interaction (FSI) modelling techniques to determine the accuracy of the simplified Bernoulli equation in estimating the TPG in these pathologies. The FSI simulated results are validated against in vitro experimental data using a cardiac pulse duplicator (CPD) system designed in accordance with ISO 5840 for in vitro testing of heart valve prostheses. The results show that the simplified Bernoulli equation both over- and underestimates the TPG depending on the type and severity of AS. The results further show that the mechanism of flow obstruction and the pressure loss across the valve differ between calcific and rheumatic AS due to the different valve morphologies. The clinical implication of using a morphology-independent correlation to estimate the TPG is analysed for the different valve morphologies by evaluating the correlation between the estimated TPG and the haemodynamic parameters that can be measured non-invasively. A preliminary FSI-informed TPG correlation is developed for calcific and rheumatic AS that accounts for the morphology of the valve and the severity of the disease. The correlations are compared to in vivo clinical data to assess their potential for clinical application. Doctoral 2026-04-21T09:24:16Z 2026-04-21T09:24:16Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136048 en Stellenbosch University 216 pages : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Grobler, Lindi
In silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis
title In silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis
title_full In silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis
title_fullStr In silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis
title_full_unstemmed In silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis
title_short In silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis
title_sort in silico and in vitro analysis of calcific and rheumatic aortic stenosis
url https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136048
work_keys_str_mv AT groblerlindi insilicoandinvitroanalysisofcalcificandrheumaticaorticstenosis