Material analysis of anatomical items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10796495-B2
Application number	US-201715857389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2017
Priority date	Aug 13, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for medical device modeling includes accessing an electronic definition for a model of a three-dimensional item and an electronic definition of a three-dimensional spline relating to an internal anatomical volume; determining, with a computer-based finite element analysis system and using the electronic definitions, stresses created by the three-dimensional item along the three-dimensional spline, for different points along the three-dimensional spline; and displaying stress data generated by the finite element analysis system with a visualization system, the display of the stress data indicating levels of stress on portions of the three-dimensional item at particular locations along the three-dimensional spline.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for medical device modeling, the method comprising:
accessing an electronic definition for a model of a three-dimensional item, an electronic definition of a three-dimensional anatomical item having an internal anatomical volume, and a plurality of electronic definitions of three-dimensional splines representing paths through a portion of the internal anatomical volume, wherein each spline in the plurality of splines has a different shape;
determining, with a computer-based finite element analysis system and using the electronic definitions, stresses created by the three-dimensional item on the anatomical item, for a plurality of locations of the three-dimensional item along each of the plurality of three-dimensional splines;
displaying, with a visualization system, a visual representation of the stresses created on the anatomical item by the three-dimensional item; and
wherein each spline in the plurality of splines is generated by:
generating a plurality of points;
fitting a preliminary spline to the plurality of points;
generating a plurality of rays around each point in the plurality of points;
generating each spline in the plurality of splines by fitting a final spline to the plurality of points such that each point in the plurality of points is positioned equidistant from the final spline in a plane positioned perpendicular to an axis of the final spline at each relevant point along the final spline.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional item comprises a model of a medical device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the medical device comprises a stent, and the model of the medical device is formed as a cylinder having a longitudinal axis.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stresses are determined by a finite element solver that is external to the visualization system.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising displaying multiple stress visualizations for a plurality of anatomical models side by side with each other for visual comparison.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic definition of the three-dimensional anatomical item is a model generated by operations comprising:
obtaining data representing two-dimensional image slices of the anatomical item captured by one or more medical imaging systems;
generating an intermediate three-dimensional representation from points identified in the two-dimensional image slices; and
generating the model from the intermediate three-dimensional representation.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining flow characteristics for fluid flowing through the internal anatomical volume.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the flow characteristics are determined by determining fluid flow around the three-dimensional item.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying electrical characteristics for tissue of the three-dimensional anatomical item, and determining the stresses as a function of the electrical characteristics.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the electrical characteristics comprise electrical charge propagating over time through heart tissue as part of a cardiac cycle.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, for each particular point of the plurality of points along a path through the internal anatomical volume, automatically performing operations comprising:
generating a plurality of rays around the particular point in a common plane; and
determining lengths of each of the plurality of rays from the particular point to a boundary of the internal anatomical volume.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising visually representing the three-dimensional item moving along at least one of the three-dimensional splines.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic definitions of the plurality of three-dimensional splines represent a plurality of open paths through the internal anatomical volume.

14. One or more machine-readable, non-transitory devices storing instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, perform operations comprising:
accessing an electronic definition for a model of a three-dimensional item, an electronic definition of a three-dimensional anatomical item having an internal anatomical volume, and a plurality of electronic definitions of three-dimensional splines representing paths through a portion of the internal anatomical volume, wherein each spline in the plurality of splines has a different shape;
determining, with a computer-based finite element analysis system and using the electronic definitions, stresses created by the three-dimensional item on the anatomical item, for a plurality of locations of the three-dimensional item along each of the plurality of three-dimensional splines;
displaying, with a visualization system, a visual representation of the stresses created on the anatomical item by the three-dimensional item; and
wherein each spline in the plurality of splines is generated by:
generating a plurality of points;
fitting a preliminary spline to the plurality of points;
generating a plurality of rays around each point in the plurality of points;
generating each spline in the plurality of splines by fitting a final spline to the plurality of points such that each point in the plurality of points is positioned equidistant from the final spline in a plane positioned perpendicular to an axis of the final spline at each relevant point along the final spline.

15. The one or more devices of claim 14 , wherein the three-dimensional item comprises a model of a medical device.

16. The one or more devices of claim 14 , wherein the electronic definitions of the plurality of three-dimensional splines represent a plurality of open paths through the internal anatomical volume.

17. The one or more devices of claim 14 , wherein the electronic definition of the three-dimensional anatomical item is a model generated by operations comprising:
obtaining data representing two-dimensional image slices of the anatomical item captured by one or more medical imaging systems;
generating an intermediate three-dimensional representation from points identified in the two-dimensional image slices; and
generating the model from the intermediate three-dimensional representation.

18. The one or more devices of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured, for each particular point of the plurality of points along a path through the internal anatomical volume, to automatically perform operations comprising:
generating a plurality of rays around the particular point in a common plane; and
determining lengths of each of the plurality of rays from the particular point to a boundary of the internal anatomical volume.

Assignees

• Boston Scient Scimed Inc
• Univ Minnesota

Inventors

• Coffey Dane
• Keefe Daniel F
• Erdman Arthur G
• Bidne Benjamin
• Ostenson Gregory Ernest
• Flynn David M
• Merdan Kenneth Matthew
• Lin Chi-Lun

Classifications

• G06T19/20 Primary

  Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts · CPC title

• A61B2034/102

  Modelling of surgical devices, implants or prosthesis · CPC title

• G06T2207/10076

  4D tomography; Time-sequential 3D tomography · CPC title

• A61B2034/2055

  Optical tracking systems · CPC title

• G06T13/20

  Three-dimensional [3D] animation · CPC title