Method and system for generating a four-chamber heart model

• US 20080262814A1
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Georgescu, Bogdan, Zheng, Yefeng, Comaniciu, Dorin, Scheuering, Michael, Barbu, Adrian, Lynch, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,275,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30048 Heart; Cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method and system for building a statistical four-chamber heart model from 3D volumes is disclosed. In order to generate the four-chamber heart model, each chamber is modeled using an open mesh, with holes at the valves. Based on the image data in one or more 3D volumes, meshes are generated and edited for the left ventricle (LV), left atrium (LA), right ventricle (RV), and right atrium (RA). Resampling to enforce point correspondence is performed during mesh editing. Important anatomic landmarks in the heart are explicitly represented in the four-chamber heart model of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for generating a four-chamber heart model, comprising:

receiving a 3D volume;

generating a left ventricle (LV) mesh and a left atrium (LA) mesh based on said 3D volume;

generating a right ventricle (RV) mesh and a right atrium (RA) mesh based on said 3D volume;

resampling each of said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes to establish point correspondence between said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes and meshes generated based on other 3D volumes; and

generating a statistical four-chamber heart model based on said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said step of generating an LV mesh and an LA mesh comprises editing an initial LV mesh and an initial LA mesh based on said 3D volume;

said step of generating an RV mesh and an RA mesh comprises editing an initial RV mesh and an initial RA mesh based on said 3D volume; and

said step of resampling each of said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes comprises resampling each of said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes during the editing of the each of said initial LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of resampling of each of said LV, LA RV, and RA meshes comprises:

resampling said LV, LA, and RA meshes using rotation axis based resampling; and

resampling said RV mesh using slice based resampling.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of resampling said LV, LA, and RA meshes using rotation axis based resampling comprises for each mesh:

defining a rotation axis along a long axis of the mesh;

cutting the mesh with a plane that passing through the rotation axis to generate a 2D contour at the intersection the mesh and the plane, wherein the rotation axis divides the 2D contour into two curves;

uniformly resampling the two curves of the 2D contour independently from one another;

repeatedly rotating the plane around the rotation axis to define a series of 2D contours, the rotation axis dividing each 2D contour into two curves; and

uniformly resampling the two curves of each 2D contour independently from one another.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of resampling said RV mesh using slice based resampling comprises:

cutting the RV mesh by a set of parallel planes, each plane perpendicular to a long axis of the RV mesh, to generate a series of 2D slices each having a single contour;

dividing the contour of each slice into two curves that meet at a pair of cusp points; and

uniformly resampling the two curves of each slice independently from one another.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of generating a left ventricle (LV) mesh and a left atrium (LA) mesh based on said 3D volume comprises:

detecting and annotating a mitral valve in said 3D volume;

detecting and annotating an aortic valve in said 3D volume; and

deforming an initial LV mesh and an initial LA mesh based on the mitral valve and the aortic valve in said 3D volume.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of generating a right ventricle (RV) mesh and a right atrium (RA) mesh based on said 3D volume comprises:

detecting and annotating a plane in said 3D volume that divides the RV into an RV main body, an RV inflow tract, and an RV outflow tract;

detecting and annotating a tricuspid valve in said 3D volume;

detecting and annotating a pulmonary valve in said 3D volume; and

deforming an initial RV mesh and an initial RA mesh based on said plane, said tricuspid valve, and said pulmonary valve in said 3D volume.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes are open meshes with holes representing valves.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said LV mesh models endocardial and epicardial borders of the LV.

10. An apparatus for generating a four-chamber heart model, comprising:

means for receiving a 3D volume;

means for generating a left ventricle (LV) mesh and a left atrium (LA) mesh based on said 3D volume;

means for generating a right ventricle (RV) mesh and a right atrium (RA) mesh based on said 3D volume;

means for resampling each of said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes to establish point correspondence between said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes and meshes generated based on other 3D volumes; and

means for generating a statistical four-chamber heart model based on said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

said means for generating an LV mesh and an LA mesh comprises means for editing an initial LV mesh and an initial LA mesh based on said 3D volume;

said means for generating an RV mesh and an RA mesh comprises means for editing an initial RV mesh and an initial RA mesh based on said 3D volume; and

said means for resampling each of said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes comprises means for resampling each of said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes during the editing of the each of said initial LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said means for resampling of each of said LV, LA RV, and RA meshes comprises:

means for resampling said LV, LA, and RA meshes using rotation axis based resampling; and

means for resampling said RV mesh using slice based resampling.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said means for resampling said LV, LA, and RA meshes using rotation axis based resampling comprises for each mesh:

means for defining a rotation axis along a long axis of the mesh;

means for cutting the mesh with a plane that passing through the rotation axis to generate a 2D contour at the intersection the mesh and the plane, wherein the rotation axis divides the 2D contour into two curves; and

means for uniformly resampling the two curves of the 2D contour independently from one another.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said means for resampling said RV mesh using slice based resampling comprises:

means for cutting the RV mesh by a set of parallel planes, each plane perpendicular to a long axis of the RV mesh, to generate a series of 2D slices each having a single contour;

means for dividing the contour of each slice into two curves that meet at a pair of cusp points; and

means for uniformly resampling the two curves of each slice independently from one another.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said means for generating a left ventricle (LV) mesh and a left atrium (LA) mesh based on said 3D volume comprises:

means for detecting and annotating a mitral valve in said 3D volume;

means for detecting and annotating an aortic valve in said 3D volume; and

means for deforming an initial LV mesh and an initial LA mesh based on the mitral valve and the aortic valve in said 3D volume.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said means for generating a right ventricle (RV) mesh and a right atrium (RA) mesh based on said 3D volume comprises:

means for detecting and annotating a plane in said 3D volume that divides the RV into an RV main body, an RV inflow tract, and an RV outflow tract;

means for detecting and annotating a tricuspid valve in said 3D volume;

means for detecting and annotating a pulmonary valve in said 3D volume; and

means for deforming an initial RV mesh and an initial RA mesh based on said plane, said tricuspid valve, and said pulmonary valve in said 3D volume.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes are open meshes with holes representing valves.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said LV mesh models endocardial and epicardial borders of the LV

19. A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions for generating a four-chamber heart model, the computer executable instructions defining steps comprising:

receiving a 3D volume;

generating a left ventricle (LV) mesh and a left atrium (LA) mesh based on said 3D volume;

generating a right ventricle (RV) mesh and a right atrium (RA) mesh based on said 3D volume;

resampling each of said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes to establish point correspondence between said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes and meshes generated based on other 3D volumes; and

generating a statistical four-chamber heart model based on said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein:

the computer executable instructions defining the step of generating an LV mesh and an LA mesh comprise computer executable instructions defining the step of editing an initial LV mesh and an initial LA mesh based on said 3D volume;

the computer executable instructions defining the step of generating an RV mesh and an RA mesh comprise computer executable instructions defining the step of editing an initial RV mesh and an initial RA mesh based on said 3D volume; and

the computer executable instructions defining the step of resampling each of said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes comprise computer executable instructions defining the step of resampling each of said LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes during the editing of the each of said initial LV, LA, RV, and RA meshes.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer executable instructions defining the step of resampling of each of said LV, LA RV, and RA meshes comprise computer executable instructions defining the steps of:

resampling said LV, LA, and RA meshes using rotation axis based resampling; and

resampling said RV mesh using slice based resampling.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the computer executable instructions defining the step of resampling said LV, LA, and RA meshes using rotation axis based resampling comprise for each mesh, computer executable instructions defining the steps of:

defining a rotation axis along a long axis of the mesh;

cutting the mesh with a plane that passing through the rotation axis to generate a 2D contour at the intersection the mesh and the plane, wherein the rotation axis divides the 2D contour into two curves;

uniformly resampling the two curves of the 2D contour independently from one another;

repeatedly rotating the plane around the rotation axis to define a series of 2D contours, the rotation axis dividing each 2D contour into two curves; and

uniformly resampling the two curves of each 2D contour independently from one another.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the computer executable instructions defining the step of resampling said RV mesh using slice based resampling comprise computer executable instructions defining the steps of:

cutting the RV mesh by a set of parallel planes, each plane perpendicular to a long axis of the RV mesh, to generate a series of 2D slices each having a single contour;

dividing the contour of each slice into two curves that meet at a pair of cusp points; and

uniformly resampling the two curves of each slice independently from one another.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer executable instructions defining the step of generating a left ventricle (LV) mesh and a left atrium (LA) mesh based on said 3D volume comprise computer executable instructions defining the steps of:

detecting and annotating a mitral valve in said 3D volume;

detecting and annotating an aortic valve in said 3D volume; and

deforming an initial LV mesh and an initial LA mesh based on the mitral valve and the aortic valve in said 3D volume.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the computer executable instructions defining the step of generating a right ventricle (RV) mesh and a right atrium (RA) mesh based on said 3D volume comprise computer executable instructions defining the steps of:

detecting and annotating a plane in said 3D volume that divides the RV into an RV main body, an RV inflow tract, and an RV outflow tract;

detecting and annotating a tricuspid valve in said 3D volume;

detecting and annotating a pulmonary valve in said 3D volume; and

deforming an initial RV mesh and an initial RA mesh based on said plane, said tricuspid valve, and said pulmonary valve in said 3D volume.