METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PATIENT-SPECIFIC MODELING OF BLOOD FLOW

• US 20120059246A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Original Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Inventors: Taylor, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/419
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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 at least a portion of an anatomical structure of the patient. The portion of the anatomical structure may include at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s aorta and at least a portion of a plurality of coronary arteries emanating from the portion of the aorta. The at least one computer system may also be configured to create a three-dimensional model representing the portion of the anatomical structure based on the patient-specific data, create a physics-based model relating to a blood flow characteristic within the portion of the anatomical structure, and determine a fractional flow reserve within the portion of the anatomical structure based on the three-dimensional model and the physics-based model.

Claims

1. A system for determining cardiovascular information for a patient, the system comprising:

at least one computer system configured to;

receive patient-specific data regarding a geometry of at least a portion of an anatomical structure of the patient, the portion of the anatomical structure including at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s aorta and at least a portion of a plurality of coronary arteries emanating from the portion of the aorta;

create a three-dimensional model representing the portion of the anatomical structure based on the patient-specific data;

create a physics-based model relating to a blood flow characteristic within the portion of the anatomical structure; and

determine a fractional flow reserve within the portion of the anatomical structure based on the three-dimensional model and the physics-based model.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer system is configured to determine the fractional flow reserve within the plurality of coronary arteries.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the fractional flow reserve indicates a ratio between a pressure at a first location in the plurality of coronary arteries and a second location upstream from the first location; and

the at least one computer system is configured to determine the fractional flow reserve at a plurality of locations in the plurality of coronary arteries.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient-specific data includes imaging data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the imaging data is provided by computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging techniques.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one computer system is configured to create the three-dimensional model based on the imaging data by locating boundaries of lumens of the plurality of coronary arteries using the imaging data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one computer system is configured to locate the boundaries based on changes in intensity values in the imaging data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the physics-based model includes at least one lumped parameter model representing a blood flow through boundaries of the three-dimensional model.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer system is configured to determine the fractional flow reserve using a parameter associated with at least one of a level of hyperemia, a level of exercise, or a medication.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one computer system is configured to determine the fractional flow reserve using a parameter associated with the level of hyperemia, and the parameter relates to a coronary artery resistance of the patient, an aortic blood pressure of the patient, or a heart rate of the patient.

11. A method for determining patient-specific cardiovascular information using at least one computer system, the method comprising:

inputting into the at least one computer system patient-specific data regarding a geometry of at least a portion of an anatomical structure of the patient, the portion of the anatomical structure including at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s aorta and at least a portion of a plurality of coronary arteries emanating from the portion of the aorta;

creating, using the at least one computer system, a three-dimensional model representing the portion of the anatomical structure based on the patient-specific data;

creating, using the at least one computer system, a physics-based model relating to a blood flow characteristic within the portion of the anatomical structure; and

determining, using the at least one computer system, a fractional flow reserve within the portion of the anatomical structure based on the three-dimensional model and the physics-based model.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a location of a functionally significant narrowing in at least one of the plurality of coronary arteries based on the determined fractional flow reserve.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the fractional flow reserve is determined within the plurality of coronary arteries.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the fractional flow reserve indicates a ratio between a pressure at a first location in the plurality of coronary arteries and a second location upstream from the first location; and

the fractional flow reserve is determined at a plurality of locations in the plurality of coronary arteries.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the patient-specific data includes imaging data of the portion of the anatomical structure, and creating the three-dimensional model includes locating boundaries of lumens of the plurality of coronary arteries using the imaging data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the boundaries are located based on changes in intensity values in the imaging data.

17. A system for determining cardiovascular information for a patient, the system comprising:

at least one computer system configured to;

receive patient-specific imaging data regarding a geometry of at least a portion of an anatomical structure of the patient, the portion of the anatomical structure including at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s aorta and at least a portion of a plurality of coronary arteries emanating from the portion of the aorta;

create a three-dimensional model representing the portion of the anatomical structure based on the patient-specific imaging data, the three-dimensional model including portions representing a plurality of outlets for blood flow formed by the plurality of coronary arteries; and

determine fractional flow reserve at a plurality of locations within the portion of the anatomical structure based on the three-dimensional model and at least one physics-based model;

wherein the at least one physics-based model represents a blood flow through at least one of the plurality of outlets, the at least one physics-based model having less than three dimensions; and

wherein the fractional flow reserve indicates a ratio between a pressure at a first location in the plurality of coronary arteries and a second location upstream from the first location.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second location is in the aorta.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one physics-based model includes at least one resistor configured to characterize flow through the at least one of the plurality of outlets.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to prepare a three-dimensional simulation of the portion of the anatomical structure indicating the fractional flow reserve at a plurality of locations in the plurality of coronary arteries along three dimensions.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the fractional flow reserve is indicated on the three-dimensional simulation using colors or shading, and changes in the fractional flow reserve are indicated by changes in color or shading.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to:

create the three-dimensional model based on the imaging data by locating boundaries of lumens of the plurality of coronary arteries using the imaging data; and

locate the boundaries based on changes in intensity values in the imaging data.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to determine the fractional flow reserve by solving equations governing blood flow using the three-dimensional model and the at least one physics-based model.

24. A method for determining patient-specific cardiovascular information using at least one computer system, the method comprising:

inputting into the at least one computer system patient-specific imaging data regarding a geometry of at least a portion of an anatomical structure of the patient, the portion of the anatomical structure including at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s aorta and at least a portion of a plurality of coronary arteries emanating from the portion of the aorta;

creating, using the at least one computer system, a three-dimensional model representing the portion of the anatomical structure based on the patient-specific imaging data, the three-dimensional model including portions representing a plurality of outlets for blood flow formed by the plurality of coronary arteries; and

determining, using the at least one computer system, fractional flow reserve at a plurality of locations within the portion of the anatomical structure based on the three-dimensional model and at least one physics-based model;

wherein the at least one physics-based model represents a blood flow through at least one of the plurality of outlets, the at least one physics-based model having less than three dimensions; and

wherein the fractional flow reserve indicates a ratio between a pressure at a first location in the plurality of coronary arteries and a second location upstream from the first location.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second location is in the aorta.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one physics-based model includes at least one resistor configured to characterize flow through the at least one of the plurality of outlets.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

preparing a three-dimensional simulation of the portion of the anatomical structure indicating the fractional flow reserve at a plurality of locations in the plurality of coronary arteries along three dimensions.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the fractional flow reserve is indicated on the three-dimensional simulation using colors or shading, and changes in the fractional flow reserve are indicated by changes in color or shading.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

locating boundary walls of the portions of the aorta and the plurality of coronary arteries based on changes in intensity values in the imaging data, wherein the three-dimensional model is created using the located boundary walls.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

determining the fractional flow reserve using a parameter associated with a level of hyperemia, and the parameter relates to a coronary artery resistance of the patient, an aortic blood pressure of the patient, or a heart rate of the patient.