METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PATIENT-SPECIFIC MODELING OF BLOOD FLOW

• US 20140243663A1
• Filed: 05/13/2014
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Original Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Inventors: TAYLOR, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,702,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/427
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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 the patient'"'"'s heart, and create a three-dimensional model representing at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s heart based on the patient-specific data. The at least one computer system may be further configured to create a physics-based model relating to a blood flow characteristic of the patient'"'"'s heart and determine a fractional flow reserve within the patient'"'"'s heart based on the three-dimensional model and the physics-based model.

Claims

1-184. -184. (canceled)

185. A method for assessing hemodynamic information, comprising:

generating or acquiring anatomic information comprising at least a location and topology of a narrowing of a blood vessel;

generating or acquiring blood flow information comprising at least flow information in one or more vessels proximal to the location of the narrowing; and

estimating hemodynamic information based at least on the anatomic information and the blood flow information.

186. The method of claim 185, comprising:

employing a computed tomography (CT) system to generate a set of CT image data;

segmenting arteries from one or more CT images; and

deriving the anatomic information based at least on the segmented arteries.

187. The method of claim 186, comprising:

employing an ultrasound system to generate a set of ultrasound data;

registering the ultrasound data to the CT image data;

identifying an ultrasound volume of interest based on the anatomical information;

generating a set of velocity data for the ultrasound volume of interest; and

estimating at least the flow information using the set of velocity data.

188. The method of claim 185, comprising:

employing an interventional imaging to generate a set of image data;

segmenting arteries from one or more reconstructed images; and

deriving the anatomic information based at least on the segmented arteries.

189. The method of claim 188, comprising:

employing an ultrasound system to generate a set of ultrasound data;

registering the ultrasound data to the set of image data;

identifying an ultrasound volume of interest based on the anatomical information;

generating a set of velocity data for the ultrasound volume of interest; and

estimating at least the flow information using the set of velocity data.

190. The method of claim 185, wherein the anatomic information further comprises one or more of a location of a vessel tree, a percentage of lumen reduction, or stenosis composition.

191. The method of claim 185, wherein the location of the narrowing of the blood vessel comprises a stenotic lesion.

192. The method of claim 185, wherein estimating the hemodynamic information comprises providing at least the anatomic information and the flow information to a computational fluid dynamics model.

193. The method of claim 192, wherein the flow information comprises a flow boundary condition used in the computational fluid dynamics model.

194. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media encoding one or more processor-executable routines, wherein the one or more routines, when executed by a processor, cause acts to be performed comprising:

accessing anatomic information comprising at least a location and topology of a narrowing of a blood vessel;

accessing or acquiring blood flow information comprising at least flow information corresponding to one or more vessels proximal to the narrowing; and

estimating hemodynamic information based at least on the anatomic information and the blood flow information.

195. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 194, wherein the one or more routines, when executed by the processor, cause further acts to be performed comprising:

accessing a set of computed tomography (CT) image data;

segmenting arteries from one or more CT images; and

deriving the anatomic information based at least on the segmented arteries.

196. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 195, wherein the one or more routines, when executed by the processor, cause further acts to be performed comprising:

accessing a set of ultrasound data;

registering the ultrasound data to the one or more CT images;

identifying an ultrasound volume of interest based on the anatomical information;

generating a set of velocity data for the ultrasound volume of interest; and

estimating at least the flow information using the set of velocity data.

197. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 194, wherein the one or more routines, when executed by the processor, cause further acts to be performed comprising:

accessing a set of interventional imaging data;

segmenting arteries from one or more images; and

deriving the anatomic information based at least on the segmented arteries.

198. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 197, wherein the one or more routines, when executed by the processor, cause further acts to be performed comprising:

accessing a set of ultrasound data;

registering the ultrasound data to the one or more images;

identifying an ultrasound volume of interest based on the anatomical information;

generating a set of velocity data for the ultrasound volume of interest; and

estimating at least the flow information using the set of velocity data.

199. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 194, wherein the anatomic information further comprises one or more of a location of a vessel tree, a percentage of lumen reduction, or stenosis composition.

200. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 194, wherein estimating the hemodynamic information comprises providing at least the anatomic information and the flow information to a computational fluid dynamics model.

201. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 200, wherein the flow information comprises a flow boundary condition used in the computational fluid dynamics model.

202. A processor-based system, comprising:

a storage encoding one or more processor-executable routines, wherein the routines, when executed cause acts to be performed comprising;

generating or acquiring anatomic information comprising at least a location and topology of a narrowing of a blood vessel;

generating or acquiring blood flow information comprising at least flow information corresponding to one or more vessels proximal to the narrowing; and

estimating hemodynamic information based at least on the anatomic information and the blood flow information;

a memory configured to encode the one or more processor-executable routines prior to execution; and

a processing component configured to access and execute the one or more routines when encoded by the memory.

203. The processor-based system of claim 202, wherein the routines, when executed by the processor, cause further acts to be performed comprising:

accessing a set of computed tomography (CT) image data;

segmenting arteries from one or more CT images; and

deriving the anatomic information based at least on the segmented arteries.

204. The processor-based system of claim 203, wherein the routines, when executed by the processor, cause further acts to be performed comprising:

accessing a set of ultrasound data;

registering the ultrasound data to the one or more CT images;

identifying an ultrasound volume of interest based on the anatomical information;

generating a set of velocity data for the ultrasound volume of interest; and

estimating at least the flow information using the set of velocity data.

205. The processor-based system of claim 202, wherein the routines, when executed by the processor, cause further acts to be performed comprising:

accessing a set of interventional imaging data;

segmenting the arteries from one or more images; and

deriving the anatomic information based at least on the segmented arteries.

206. The processor-based system of claim 205, wherein the routines, when executed by the processor, cause further acts to be performed comprising:

accessing a set of ultrasound data;

registering the ultrasound data to the one or more images;

identifying an ultrasound volume of interest based on the anatomical information;

generating a set of velocity data for the ultrasound volume of interest; and

estimating at least the flow information using the set of velocity data.

207. The processor-based system of claim 202, wherein the anatomic information further comprises one or more of a location of a vessel tree, a percentage of lumen reduction, or stenosis composition.

208. The processor-based system of claim 202, wherein estimating the hemodynamic information comprises providing at least the anatomic information and the flow information to a computational fluid dynamics model.

209. The processor-based system of claim 208, wherein the flow information comprises a flow boundary condition used in the computational fluid dynamics model.

210. The processor-based system of claim 202, wherein the location of the narrowing of the blood vessel comprises a stenotic lesion.