Method and system for image processing to model vasculasture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11869669-B2
Application number	US-202218068604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2022
Priority date	Mar 1, 2013
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for evaluating cardiovascular treatment options for a patient. One method includes creating a three-dimensional model representing a portion of the patient's heart based on patient-specific data regarding a geometry of the patient's heart or vasculature; and for a plurality of treatment options for the patient's heart or vasculature, modifying at least one of the three-dimensional model and a reduced order model based on the three-dimensional model. The method also includes determining, for each of the plurality of treatment options, a value of a blood flow characteristic, by solving at least one of the modified three-dimensional model and the modified reduced order model; and identifying one of the plurality of treatment options that solves a function of at least one of: the determined blood flow characteristics of the patient's heart or vasculature, and one or more costs of each of the plurality of treatment options.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vascular modeling method, comprising:
receiving patient-specific data imaging data of a vasculature of a patient;
determining that a vessel of the vasculature of the patient includes a plaque;
automatically segmenting the vessel of the patient that includes the plaque;
generating a set of possible treatment options for at least a section of the patient's vasculature having energy losses exceeding a predetermined threshold level, wherein the set of possible treatment options includes all feasible treatment options for the at least the section;
evaluating the set of possible treatment options; and
generating a patient-specific treatment recommendation based on the evaluating the set of possible treatment options.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plaque is automatically segmented based on a contrast of the plaque as compared to a wall of the vessel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the vessel of the vasculature of the patient includes the plaque includes comparing an intensity value of the patient-specific imaging data to a threshold value.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the evaluating the set of possible treatment options includes applying an objective function.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the objective function maximizes flow or minimizes pressure changes.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the objective function penalizes undesirable characteristics.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the objective function identifies a local optimum.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient-specific treatment recommendation includes a stent or a bypass graft, the method further comprising displaying a type, location, and/or orientation of the stent or the bypass graft.

9. A system for vascular modeling, the system comprising:
at least one memory having processor-readable instructions stored therein; and
at least one processor configured to access the memory and execute the processor-readable instructions, which when executed by the processor configures the processor to perform a plurality of operations, the operations comprising:
receiving patient-specific data imaging data of a vasculature of a patient;
determining that a vessel of the vasculature of the patient includes a plaque;
automatically segmenting the vessel of the patient that includes the plaque;
generating a set of possible treatment options for at least a section of the patient's vasculature having energy losses exceeding a predetermined threshold level, wherein the set of possible treatment options includes all feasible treatment options for the at least the section;
evaluating the set of possible treatment options; and
generating a patient-specific treatment recommendation based on the evaluating the set of possible treatment options.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the plaque is automatically segmented based on a contrast of the plaque as compared to a wall of the vessel.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the determining that the vessel of the vasculature of the patient includes the plaque includes comparing an intensity value of the patient-specific imaging data to a threshold value.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the evaluating the set of possible treatment options includes applying an objective function.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the objective function maximizes flow or minimizes pressure changes.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the objective function penalizes undesirable characteristics.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer program instructions for planning treatment for vascular modeling, the computer program instructions when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving patient-specific data imaging data of a vasculature of a patient;
determining that a vessel of the vasculature of the patient includes a plaque;
automatically segmenting the vessel of the patient that includes the plaque;
generating a set of possible treatment options for at least a section of the patient's vasculature having energy losses exceeding a predetermined threshold level, wherein the set of possible treatment options includes all feasible treatment options for the at least the section;
evaluating the set of possible treatment options; and
generating a patient-specific treatment recommendation based on the evaluating the set of possible treatment options.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the plaque is automatically segmented based on a contrast of the plaque as compared to a wall of the vessel.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the determining that the vessel of the vasculature of the patient includes the plaque includes comparing an intensity value of the patient-specific imaging data to a threshold value.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the evaluating the set of possible treatment options includes applying an objective function.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the objective function maximizes flow or minimizes pressure changes.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the objective function penalizes undesirable characteristics.

Assignees

• Heartflow Inc

Inventors

• Spilker Ryan
• Eberle David
• Grady Leo

Classifications

• G16H50/50 Primary

  for simulation or modelling of medical disorders · CPC title

• A61B34/10

  Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations · CPC title

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• G06T7/0012

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title

• G06T7/11

  Region-based segmentation · CPC title