Effect of In Vivo Physical Interaction of the Ascending Aorta and Main Pulmonary Artery on Postnatal Surface Growth Patterns in Ovine

Congenital abnormalities of the main pulmonary artery (MPA) and ascending aorta (AA) often necessitate surgical repair or the use of a valved conduit replacement, requiring multiple re-interventions due to regurgitation or failure of the prosthetic conduit. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the development of a living autologous tissue graft that could address the critical need for growing substitutes in the repair of congenital cardiovascular defects [1]. Regardless of the particulars of the therapeutic approach, the detailed growth characteristics of the native artery is required to establish the baseline dimensional changes post-implantation. During normal embryogenesis the Truncus Arteriosus begins to split and form into the anterior pulmonary artery and the posterior aorta [2]. Due to their common embryologic origin from a single outflow tract, there are disease conditions that originate in one artery and eventually affect both arteries [3]. Therefore, the postnatal growth deformation of both the MPA and AA was computed to quantify the effects of the mechanical association of these two arteries.