MULTI-CARDIAC SOUND GATED IMAGING AND POST-PROCESSING OF IMAGING DATA BASED ON CARDIAC SOUND

• US 20140024916A1
• Filed: 07/20/2012
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.), Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: HAUTVAST, Guillaume Leopold Theodorus Frederik
• Granted Patent: US 9,161,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7289 Retrospective gating, i.e. associating measured signals or images with a physiological event after the actual measurement or image acquisition, e.g. by simultaneously recording an additional physiological signal during the measurement or image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/483 involving scattered radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5288 involving retrospective matching to a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5673 Gating or triggering based on a physiological signal other than an MR signal, e.g. ECG gating or motion monitoring using optical systems for monitoring the motion of a fiducial marker

Abstract

A method image includes determining an end systolic imaging trigger, acquiring cardiac imaging data including first imaging data corresponding to a first predetermined data acquisition interval surrounding end systole, and post-processing the cardiac imaging data based at least on the end systolic imaging trigger.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining an end systolic imaging trigger;

acquiring cardiac imaging data including first imaging data corresponding to a first predetermined data acquisition interval surrounding end systole; and

post-processing the cardiac imaging data based at least on the end systolic imaging trigger.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an end diastolic imaging trigger;

acquiring cardiac imaging data including second imaging data corresponding to a second predetermined data acquisition interval about end diastole; and

post-processing the cardiac imaging data further based on the end diastolic imaging trigger.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein only the first imaging data and the second imaging data are acquired.

4. The method of any of claim 2, further comprising:

acquiring data indicative cardiac acoustics over cardiac cycles;

identifying a cardiac sound corresponding to end systole;

generating the end systolic imaging trigger based thereon; and

employing the end systolic imaging trigger to acquire the first imaging data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying another cardiac sound corresponding to end diastole;

generating the end diastolic imaging trigger based thereon; and

employing the end diastolic imaging trigger to acquire the second imaging data.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

simulating imaging data between the first and second imaging data based on an anatomical model of the heart and boundary conditions determined based on the end systolic imaging trigger and the end diastolic imaging trigger.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

acquiring cardiac imaging data for at least three phases of the cardiac cycle, including end diastole and end systole;

extracting the first imaging data corresponding to end systole based on the end systolic imaging trigger; and

reconstructing the extracted first imaging data, thereby generating the imaging data corresponding to end systole.

8. The method claim 7, further comprising:

reconstructing the acquired imaging data, thereby generating image data of the three or more cardiac phases; and

highlighting imaging data corresponding to end systole based on the end systolic imaging trigger.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

extracting the second imaging data corresponding to end diastole based on the end diastolic imaging trigger; and

reconstructing the extracted second imaging data, thereby generating the imaging data corresponding to end diastole.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

reconstructing the acquired imaging data, thereby generating imaging data of the three or more cardiac phases; and

highlighting imaging data corresponding to end diastole based on the end diastolic imaging trigger.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the post-processing includes visually presenting, automatically, imaging data corresponding to end systole based on the end systolic imaging trigger.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the post-processing includes visually presenting, automatically, imaging data corresponding to end diastole based on the end diastolic imaging trigger.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the post-processing includes generating and displaying a movie using the imaging data corresponding to end diastole and end systole based on the end diastolic imaging trigger and the end systolic imaging trigger.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the post-processing includes determining one or more of stroke volume, cardiac output, ejection fraction, end diastolic volume, or end systolic volume based on reconstructed imaging data.

15. A system (100), comprising:

a cardiac sound detector (118) that detects cardiac sounds for cardiac cycles during an imaging examination procedure, including a first sound corresponding to end diastole and a second sound corresponding to end systole;

a filter bank (120) that includes filters (128) for distinguishing between different cardiac sounds, including the first and second sounds;

a trigger generator (130) that generates triggers that gate imaging procedures, including at least an end diastole trigger and an end systole trigger; and

a post-processing system (140, 116, 136, 138) that processes imaging data from an imaging system based on the at least the end diastole trigger and the end systole trigger.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a console (116) that prospectively gates the imaging procedure using the imaging triggers to acquire data only for data acquisition intervals about end diastole and end systole;

a reconstructor (134) that reconstructs the acquired data, generating imaging data corresponding to end diastole and end systole; and

a simulator (138) that simulates imaging data between the imaging data corresponding to end diastole and end systole based on an anatomical model of the heart and the at least the end diastole trigger and the end systole trigger.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a console that gates an imaging procedure to acquire data for at least three cardiac phases, including end diastole and end systole; and

a reconstructor that reconstructs the acquired data and at least one of extracts imaging data corresponding to end diastole and to end systole based on the end diastole trigger and the end systole trigger or highlights imaging data corresponding to end diastole and to end systole based on the end diastole trigger and the end systole trigger.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a cardiac parameter determiner (136) that determines at least one of stroke volume, cardiac output, ejection fraction, end diastolic volume, or end systolic volume based on the imaging data and the at least the end diastole trigger and the end systole trigger.

19. The system of claim 15, where the imaging data corresponding to end diastole and to end systole is at least one of automatically visually presented based on the end diastole and the end systole triggers or automatically visually presented as a movie.

20. A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer readable instructions, which, when executed by a processer, causer the processor to:

determine an end systolic imaging trigger and an end diastolic imaging trigger based on detected cardiac sounds during an imaging procedure; and

post-process image data based on the end systolic imaging trigger and the end diastolic imaging trigger, wherein the post-processing includes at least one of;

1) automatically visually presenting image data corresponding to at least one of the end systolic imaging trigger and the end diastolic imaging trigger;

2) generating at least one cardiac parameter based on the image data and the at least one of the end systolic imaging trigger and the end diastolic imaging trigger;

3) generating and displaying an image data based movie based on the image data and the at least one of the end systolic imaging trigger and the end diastolic imaging trigger;

or

4) simulating image data between the image data corresponding to the end systolic imaging trigger and the image data corresponding to the end diastolic imaging trigger based on the image data and boundary conditions determined based on the end systolic imaging trigger and the end diastolic imaging trigger.