Vascular tree standardization for biophysical simulation and/or an extension simulation for pruned portions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11055845-B2
Application number	US-201716348282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2017
Priority date	Nov 22, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A computing system (126) includes a computer readable storage medium (130) with computer executable instructions (128), including: a segmentation standardizer (120) configured to determine a standardized vascular tree from a segmented vascular tree segmented of volumetric image data and a predetermined set of pruning rules (206), and a biophysical simulator (122) configured to perform a biophysical simulation based on the standardized vascular tree. The computing system further includes a processor (124) configured to execute the segmentation standardizer to determine the standardized vascular tree from the segmented vascular tree segmented of volumetric image data and the predetermined set of pruning rules, and configured to execute the biophysical simulator to perform a biophysical simulation based on the standardized vascular tree. The computing system further includes a display configured to display at least one of the standardized vascular tree and a result of the biophysical simulation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computing system, comprising:
a computer readable storage medium with computer executable instructions, including:
a segmentation standardizer configured to determine, based on a predetermined set of pruning rules, a standardized vascular tree from a segmented vascular tree of volumetric image data; and
a biophysical simulator configured to perform a biophysical simulation based on the standardized vascular tree;

a processor configured to execute the segmentation standardizer to determine the standardized vascular tree, and configured to execute the biophysical simulator to perform a biophysical simulation based on the standardized vascular tree; and
a display configured to display at least one of the standardized vascular tree and a result of the biophysical simulation.

2. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined set of pruning rules includes at least one of a main vessel pruning rule, a short vessel pruning rule, a location of interest pruning rule, a distal segment pruning rule, and a vessel diameter pruning rule.

3. The computing system of claim 2 , wherein the processor, based on the main vessel pruning rule, prunes a main vessel only if a length of the main vessel, from an aorta to an end of the vessel, is greater than a predetermined main vessel length, and only up to the predetermined main vessel length.

4. The computing system of claim 3 , wherein the processor, based on the short vessel pruning rule, prunes off a vessel only if a length of the short vessel is less than a predetermined short vessel length.

5. The computing system of claim 4 , wherein the processor, based on the location of interest pruning rule, prunes an end of a vessel from a location of interest only if a length of the end from the location of interest is greater than a predetermined location of interest length and only up to the predetermined location of interest length.

6. The computing system of claim 5 , wherein the processor, based on the distal segment pruning rule, prunes a distal end of a vessel from a branch only if a length of the distal end from the branch is greater than a predetermined distal segment length and only up to the predetermined distal segment length.

7. The computing system of claim 6 , wherein the distal segment pruning rule is constrained by the main vessel pruning rule and the location of interest pruning rule.

8. The computing system of claim 6 , wherein the processor, based on the vessel diameter pruning rule, prunes a vessel from an outlet of the vessel towards an inlet of the vessel up only if a vessel diameter of the vessel is greater than a predetermined vessel diameter and only until the predetermined vessel diameter is reached.

9. The computing system of claim 2 , wherein the biophysical simulator further includes a pruned vascular segment processor configured to perform a biophysical simulation for only pruned portions of the segmented vascular tree.

10. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein for a pruned portion that is a continuation of a pruned vessel, the processor utilizes a volumetric flow rate and an absolute pressure from the biophysical simulation of the standardized vascular tree as initial values for a simulation for just the pruned portion to determine the biophysical simulation for the pruned portion.

11. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein for an entire pruned subtree, the processor simulates an entire hydraulic network by solving a system of nonlinear equations to obtain flows and pressures and to determine the biophysical simulation for the pruned subtree.

12. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein for an entire pruned vessel or subtree pruned from another vessel, the processor determines a constant pressure and assigns constant values along the entire pruned vessel or subtree.

13. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein the display is configured to display the segmented vascular tree and the simulation results for the standardized vascular tree and the pruned portions.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with computer readable instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a computing system, causes the processor to:
execute a segmentation standardizer configured to determine, based on a predetermined set of pruning rules, a standardized vascular tree from a segmented vascular tree of volumetric image data;
execute a biophysical simulator configured to perform a biophysical simulation based on the standardized vascular tree; and
display via a display monitor configured to display at least one of the standardized vascular tree and a result of the biophysical simulation.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined set of pruning rules includes at least one of a main vessel pruning rule, a short vessel pruning rule, a location of interest pruning rule, a distal segment pruning rule, and a vessel diameter pruning rule.

16. The computing system of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined set of pruning rules further includes a pruning rules based on a resolution of the volumetric image data.

17. The computing system of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined set of pruning rules further includes a pruning rules based on at least one of a demographic of a subject of the volumetric image data and an anatomical characteristic of anatomy represented in the volumetric image data.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined set of pruning rules includes a main vessel pruning rule that causes the processor to prune a main vessel to a length of ten centimeters.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined set of pruning rules includes a short vessel pruning rule that causes the processor to remove a short vessel having a length of one centimeter or less.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined set of pruning rules includes a location of interest pruning rule that causes the processor to prune an end of a vessel from a location of interest until the end of the vessel is two centimeters from the location of interest.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined set of pruning rules includes a distal segment pruning rule that causes the processor to prune a distal end of a vessel from a branch until the distal end of the vessel is two centimeters from the branch.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined set of pruning rules includes a vessel diameter pruning rule that causes the processor to prune a vessel from an outlet of the vessel towards an inlet of the vessel until the diameter of the vessel is one and a half millimeters.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform a biophysical simulation for only pruned portions of the segmented vascular tree.

24. A method, comprising:
standardizing a segmented vascular tree using a predetermined set of pruning rules to create a standardized vascular tree;
performing a biophysical simulation for the standardized vascular tree; and
displaying the standardized vascular tree and a result of the biophysical simulation.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein performing the biophysical simulation includes performing a computational fluid dynamic simulation for the standardized vascular tree.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Nickisch Hannes
• Schmitt Holger
• Prevrhal Sven
• Freiman Mordechay Pinchas
• Goshen Liran

Classifications

• G16H50/50

  for simulation or modelling of medical disorders · CPC title

• G06T2207/30101

  Blood vessel; Artery; Vein; Vascular · CPC title

• A61B6/032

  Transmission computed tomography [CT] · CPC title

• G06T7/11

  Region-based segmentation · CPC title

• G16H30/40

  for processing medical images, e.g. editing · CPC title