Apparatus and method for visualizing a conduction tract of heart

• US 10,368,763 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Groth, Alexandra, Weese, Juergen, Lehmann, Helko, Barschdorf, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Luong, Peter
• Application Number:
  US14/380,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20150025364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• Field of Search: 600424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/023 for the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/283 Invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/341 Vectorcardiography [VCG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/367 Electrophysiological study [EPS], e.g. electrical activation mapping or electro-anatomical mapping
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6852 Catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6886 Monitoring or controlling distance between sensor and tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7425 Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image geometric transforms for image registration G06T3/14; enhancement using image fusion G06T5/50; algorithms for registration of images G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/44 Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

An apparatus, a method and a computer program for visualizing a conduction tract of a heart include adapting a generic heart model to match geometrical data of a patient'"'"'s heart, where model data, corresponding to the generic heart model and indicating a shape and/or position of the conduction tract, is modified in accordance to the adaptation of the generic heart model. The modification of the model data is further refined based on electrophysiological data of the patient to produce refined model data, and the refined model data is used for generating a visualization of a refined model heart indicating a refined shape and/or refined position of the conduction tract of the patients heart.

Claims

1. An apparatus for visualizing a conduction tract of a heart a subject, comprising:

a storage configured to store a generic heart model and model data, the generic heart model representing at least a portion of an actual heart, and the model data corresponding to the generic heart model indicating at least one of a shape and a position of the conduction tract in the generic heart model;

an input configured to receive geometrical data of the heart of the subject corresponding to the generic heart model and electrophysiological data of the subject;

a model adapter configured to adapt the generic heart model to match the geometrical data inputted to the input to generate an adapted generic heart model;

a model data modifier configured to modify the model data into modified model data to reflect the adapted generic heart model provided by the model adapter indicating at least one of an adapted shape and an adapted position of the conduction tract in the generic heart model;

a model refiner configured to refine the modified model data into refined model data indicating at least one of a refined shape and a refined position of the conduction tract in the generic heart model based on the electrophysiological data; and

a generator configured to generate a visualization of the conduction tract, having the at least one of the refined shape and the refined position, using the refined model data.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the model refiner comprises:

a simulator configured to calculate simulated electrophysiological data corresponding to the modified model data;

a comparator configured to compare the simulated electrophysiological data to the electrophysiological data received by the input and to output a comparison result; and

a comparison refiner configured to refine the modified model data based on the comparison result.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the model refiner comprises:

an extractor configured to extract characteristic features from the electrophysiological data; and

a feature refiner configured to refine the modified model data based on the characteristic features.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3,

wherein the extractor is configured to extract a minimum of an electrical activation time, and

wherein the feature refiner is configured to refine a location of an end conduction tract based on the electrical activation time extracted by the extractor.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the model refiner is configured to refine the model data in an iterative manner.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the generator is configured to generate the visualization of the conduction tract, having the at least one of the refined shape and the refined position, at least one of by superposing a representation of the refined model data on geometrical data and by displaying the representation of the refined model data separately.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the geometrical data includes at least one of two-dimensional data, three-dimensional data and four-dimensional data, and wherein the geometrical data is obtained by at least one of radiography, tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrophysiological data includes at least one of an electroanatomical mapping of the heart and a body-surface-potential data of the subject.

9. An apparatus for assisting an electrophysiological procedure, comprising:

a visualizing apparatus as defined in claim 1, and

an instrument position obtainer configured to obtain position data of a medical instrument to be used in the electrophysiological procedure;

a distance calculator configured to calculate, during the electrophysiological procedure, a distance between the medical instrument and a position of the conduction tract according to the refined model data; and

an indicator configured to indicate the distance calculated by the distance calculator.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

an instrument controller configured to at least one of allow and prohibit a function of the medical instrument based on the distance calculated by the distance calculator.

11. A method for visualizing a conduction tract of a heart of a subject, the method comprising acts of:

providing a generic heart model and model data corresponding to the generic heart model indicating at least one of a shape and a position of the conduction tract in the generic heart model, the generic heart model representing at least a portion of an actual heart;

obtaining geometrical data of the heart of the subject corresponding to the generic heart model;

adapting the generic heart model to match the geometrical data obtained in the obtaining geometrical data act, and modifying the model data into modified model data to reflect the adapting act indicating at least one of an adapted shape and an adapted position of the conduction tract in the generic heart model;

obtaining electrophysiological data of the subject;

refining the modified model data into refined model data indicating at least one of a refined shape and a refined position of the conduction tract in the generic heart model based on the electrophysiological data obtained by the act of obtaining electrophysiological data; and

generating a visualization of the conduction tract, having the at least one of the refined shape and the refined position, using the refined model data.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer instructions which, when executed by a processor, configure the processor to perform a method for visualizing a conduction tract of a heart, the method comprising acts of:

providing a generic heart model and model data corresponding to the generic heart model indicating at least one of a shape and a position of the conduction tract in the generic heart model, the generic heart model representing at least a portion of an actual heart;

obtaining geometrical data of the heart of the subject corresponding to the generic heart model;

adapting the generic heart model to match the geometrical data obtained in the obtaining geometrical data act, and modifying the model data into modified model data to reflect the adapting act indicating at least one of an adapted shape and an adapted position of the conduction tract in the generic heart model;

obtaining electrophysiological data of the subject;

refining the modified model data into refined model data indicating at least one of a refined shape and a refined position of the conduction tract in the generic heart model based on the electrophysiological data obtained by the act of obtaining electrophysiological data; and

generating a visualization of the conduction tract, having the at least one of the refined shape and the refined position, using the refined model data.