The morphological effects of geometry and dimensions of the aortic valve and root were examined using of 18 adult hearts from fixed male cadavers who had expired due to noncardiac causes. The aortic valve measurements were performed on the free edge of the leaflets and the annullar edge from tomographic cross-sectional views obtained from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Morphological assessement of the aortic root was done with cross-sectioned sequentially for measurements at four levels: at the ventriculoarterial junction (annulus), at the sinuses of Valsalva (sinus), at the sinotubular junction, and at 1 cm above the sinotubular junction.
Mathematical relationship and comparisons were made by level setting using Euclidean radiation and a computerized morphometric analysis programming among the values from four different aortic root levels. The diameters of the annulus and the sinus level were represented by a value of one, and all other values were represented by a fraction (percentage) of these values. Statistical analysis among the variation of the diameters at the four levels of aortic root was achieved using ANOVA test (one-way analysis of variance).
The free edge of left coronary cusp was the shortest among three leaflets (p < 0.05). Our data obtained from mathematical modelling showed that the aortic root was the narrowest at the sinotubular junctional level, and the widest at the sinus level (p < 0.05). The mean thickness of the aortic root wall was variable within each MRI cross-section. The aortic wall was thicker at the commissural level than at the sinus level.
The analysis of our mathematical data implied that the production of the design to aortic root anatomy and geometry by 3-dimentional geometrical solution could resemble the surgical anatomy and could be adapted to the aortic root replacement and the procedures of the aortic valve preservation.