Systems And Methods For On-Site And Real-Time Electrocardiographic Imaging (ECGI)

• US 20110190649A1
• Filed: 08/10/2009
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Washington University In St Louis
• Original Assignee: Washington University In St Louis
• Inventors: Wang, Yong, Rudy, Yoram
• Granted Patent: US 9,259,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00839 Bioelectrical parameters, e.g. ECG, EEG
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0044 for the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/503 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5247 combining images from an ionising-radiation diagnostic technique and a non-ionising radiation diagnostic technique, e.g. X-ray and ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5261 combining images from different diagnostic modalities, e.g. ultrasound and X-ray

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) is provided. The method includes computing a transfer matrix, measuring a plurality of electrical potentials, and computing an estimation of electrical potentials on a surface of interest based at least in part on the measured potentials and the computed transfer matrix. The transfer matrix computing step is performed prior to the measuring step.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

computing a transfer matrix;

measuring, via a plurality of electrodes, a plurality of electrical potentials; and

computing, by a processor, an estimation of electrical potentials on a surface of interest based at least in part on the measured potentials and the computed transfer matrix,

wherein the transfer matrix computing step is performed prior to the measuring step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface of interest comprises a cardiac surface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein computing the transfer matrix occurs prior to a medical procedure or at an outset of the medical procedure, and wherein said measuring the electrical potentials and said computing the estimation occur during the medical procedure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said measuring the electrical potentials and said computing the estimation occur on-site with respect to where the medical procedure is being performed.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

during the medical procedure, generating an image for display based on the computed estimation.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the cardiac surface comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of an epicardial surface and an endocardial surface.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing said computing the transfer matrix, said measuring the electrical potentials, and said computing the estimation for a meshless electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) procedure.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising using the computed estimation to evaluate a result of the medical procedure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the transfer matrix comprises computing a first transfer matrix and a second transfer matrix, both transfer matrices being computed prior to said measuring, the first transfer matrix defining a geometrical relationship between a plurality of locations where the measured potentials are measured and a plurality of locations on the surface of interest for which the estimated electrical potentials are estimated, the second transfer matrix defining a relative influence of each of the different locations for the measured potentials on all of the estimated potentials on the surface of interest, and wherein computing the estimation comprises multiplying the second transfer matrix and the measured potentials.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein computing the estimation comprises computing the estimation in real-time with respect to said measuring the plurality of electrical potentials.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

defining a simulated measurement of the measured potentials;

computing a plurality of simulated estimations of electrical potentials on the surface of interest based on the simulated measurement and the first transfer matrix; and

creating the second transfer matrix from the plurality of simulated estimations.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said computing the plurality of simulated estimations comprises computing the plurality of simulated estimations of electrical potentials using a linear regularization technique.

13. A system comprising:

a signal acquisition and processing device; and

a processor programmed to;

compute a transfer matrix;

receive a plurality of electrical potential measurements from the signal acquisition and processing device; and

compute an estimation of electrical potentials on a cardiac surface of interest based at least in part on the electrical potential measurements and the computed transfer matrix, wherein the processor is programmed to perform the transfer matrix computation prior to receiving the electrical potential measurements.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further programmed to generate an image for display based on the computed estimation.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further programmed to compute the estimation via a meshless ECGI technique.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further programmed to compute a plurality of transfer matrices, the plurality of transfer matrices comprising a first transfer matrix and a second transfer matrix, wherein the processor is further programmed to compute both transfer matrices prior to receiving the electrical potential measurements, the first transfer matrix defining a geometrical relationship between a plurality of locations where the electrical potential measurements are measured and a plurality of locations on the surface of interest for which the estimated electrical potentials are estimated, the second transfer matrix defining a relative influence of each of the different locations for the electrical potential measurements on all of the estimated potentials on the surface of interest, and wherein the processor is further programmed to compute the estimation by multiplying the second transfer matrix and the electrical potential measurements.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

generate an image for display based on the computed estimation; and

perform the estimation computation and the image generation in real-time with respect to receiving the electrical potential measurements.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

define a simulated measurement of the electrical potential measurements;

compute a plurality of simulated estimations of electrical potentials on the surface of interest based on the simulated measurement and the first transfer matrix; and

create the second transfer matrix from the plurality of simulated estimations.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further programmed to compute the plurality of simulated estimations using a linear regularization technique.

20. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components, said components comprising:

a transfer matrix computation component that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to compute a transfer matrix;

a measurement component that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to measure a plurality of electrical potentials; and

an estimation component that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to compute an estimation of electrical potentials on a surface of interest based at least in part on the measured electrical potentials and the computed transfer matrix, wherein the at least one processor computes the transfer matrix before the at least one processor measures the plurality of electrical potentials.