Method and system for image processing to determine patient-specific blood flow characteristics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016110866-A1
Application number	US-201514984018-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Aug 12, 2010
Publication date	Apr 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments include a system for determining cardiovascular information for a patient. The system may include at least one computer system configured to receive patient-specific data regarding a geometry of the patient's heart, and create a three-dimensional model representing at least a portion of the patient's heart based on the patient-specific data. The at least one computer system may be further configured to create a physics-based model relating to a blood flow characteristic of the patient's heart and determine a fractional flow reserve within the patient's heart based on the three-dimensional model and the physics-based model.

First claim

1 - 184 . (canceled)

185 . A method of image processing to assess vascular function of a cardiac vasculature having at least one stenotic segment, the method comprising:
receiving, by image processing circuitry, a first vascular model modeling the cardiac vasculature; determining at least one characteristic of flow through the stenotic segment in the first vascular model; generating a second vascular model, from the first vascular model, with at least one modification to the second vascular model to produce a difference in the characteristic of flow for the second vascular model; further determining the characteristic of flow for the second vascular model corresponding to the characteristic of flow for the first vascular model; and calculating a flow index quantifying the vascular function of the cardiac vasculature modeled by the first vascular model, wherein the calculating is based on comparing the characteristics of flow in the first and second vascular models.

186 . The method of claim 185 , wherein the first vascular model is calculated based on a plurality of 2-D angiographic images.

187 . The method of claim 185 , wherein the flow index is calculated based on a ratio of corresponding flow characteristics of the first and second vascular models.

188 . The method of claim 185 , wherein the at least one characteristic of flow comprises a flow rate.

189 . The method of claim 188 , wherein the flow index comprises an index representing a Fractional Flow Reserve index comprising a ratio of the maximal flow through a stenotic vessel, to the maximal flow through the stenotic vessel with the stenosis removed.

190 . The method of claim 189 , wherein the flow index is used in determining a recommendation for revascularization.

191 . The method of claim 185 , wherein the first and second vascular models comprise connected branches of vascular segment data, each branch being associated with a corresponding vascular resistance to flow.

192 . The method of claim 185 , wherein the second vascular model comprises a relatively enlarged-diameter vessel replacing the at least one stenotic segment in the first vascular model.

193 . The method of claim 185 , wherein the second vascular model comprises a normalized vessel obtained by normalizing the stenotic segment.

194 . The method of claim 185 , wherein the at least one characteristic of flow is calculated based on properties of a plurality of vascular segments in flowing connection with the at least one stenotic segment.

195 . The method of claim 185 , further comprising:
identifying in the first vascular model the stenosed vessel and downstream vascular branches of the stenosed vessel, and calculating the resistance to fluid flow in the downstream vascular branches; wherein the flow index is calculated based on a volume of the downstream vascular branches, and on a contribution of the stenosed vessel to the resistance to fluid flow.

196 . The method of claim 185 , wherein the first vascular model comprises paths along vascular segments of the cardiac vasculature, each of the paths being mapped along its extent to positions in the plurality of 2-D images.

197 . A computer software product, comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which, when read by a computer, cause the computer to execute the method of claim 185 .

198 . A system for image processing to assess vascular function of a cardiac vasculature having a stenotic segment, the system comprising a computer configured to:
receive a plurality of 2-D images of the cardiac vasculature; convert the plurality of 2-D images to a first vascular model modeling the cardiac vasculature; determine at least one characteristic of flow in the first vascular model through the stenotic segment; generate a second vascular model from the first vascular model to produce at least one modification that alters the at least one characteristic of flow; further determine the characteristic of flow for the second vascular model corresponding to the characteristic of flow for the first vascular model; and calculate a flow index quantifying the vascular function of the cardiac vasculature modeled by the first vascular model, wherein the computer calculates the flow index by comparing the characteristic of flow in the first and second vascular models.

Assignees

• Heartflow Inc

Inventors

• Taylor Charles A

Classifications

• G06T12/30

  Image post-processing, e.g. metal artefact correction · CPC title

• G06T11/10

  Texturing; Colouring; Generation of textures or colours (retouching, inpainting or scratch removal G06T5/77) · CPC title

• G16H70/00

  ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical references · CPC title

• G16H30/20

  for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS · CPC title

• G06F18/24

  Classification techniques · CPC title