Cardiac Valve Treatment Technology Group

Development of a pulsatile circulatory simulator to evaluate the effect of aortic valve-sparing root replacement

　One of the surgical treatments for aortic valve disease is an aortic valve-sparing root replacement, which preserves the patient's valve cusps and replaces the diseased aortic root with a vascular prosthesis. There are two representative techniques (Remodeling and Reimplantation) with different methods of preserving the Valsalva sinus, and new methods for both techniques have been proposed. 　In this study, we have developed a pulsatile circulatory simulator that can incorporate a biological aortic valve and investigate and compare the effects of both techniques on valvular function by measuring pressure and flow in a simulated in vivo environment. 　We are also collaborating with Prof. Takashi Kunihara's group at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Jikei-University School of Medicine, on this topic.

Development of a Hybrid Pulsatile Circulatory Simulator Incorporating a Porcine Mitral Valve for the Development of Mitral Valvuloplasty Techniques

  

Since the mitral valve opens and closes in cooperation with the left ventricle via tendon cords, the treatment of mitral regurgitation requires the preservation of the patient's valve as much as possible. 　This study establishes a human pathological model in a pulsatile circulatory simulator using a porcine mitral valve to promote the development of novel medical devices. 　This research is being conducted in collaboration with Prof. Makoto Ando at Kanazawa Medical University and Dr. Minoru Tabata at Tokyo Bay Urayasu Ichikawa Medical Center.

Development and design of a pulsatile circulatory simulator for the evaluation of stentless mitral valve with tendon cords

In collaboration with Prof. Hitoshi Kasegawa, we are developing a stentless mitral valve (Normo valve), which is characterized by the use of autologous pericardium and also retains the continuity of the valve leaflets, valve leaflets, tendon cords, and papillary muscles of the biological mitral valve, as a potential new option for mitral valve therapy. This study evaluates the Normo valve in a pulsatile circulatory simulator that incorporates a left ventricular model that simulates the motion of the mitral annulus and its positional relationship with the papillary muscles. So, we have shown that the Normo valve has the same efficacy as the bioprosthesis valve used in clinical practice. We are investigating the optimization of the design using finite element analysis.