System and method for facilitating cardiac intervention

• US 7,536,042 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Capital Southwest Corporation
• Original Assignee: Chase Medical LP
• Inventors: Murphy, Gregory, Suresh, Mitta, Davis, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatnagar; Anand
• Application Number:
  US10/640,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20040049116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/128, 382/129, 382/130, 382/131, 382/132, 382/133, 128/922, 378 4- 27
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/30 Anatomical models G09B23/281 - G09B23/288 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/922 including image analysis

Abstract

One embodiment discloses a computerized method of facilitating cardiac intervention, comprising inputting patient data, creating a computerized interactive model of a diseased heart based on the patient data, wherein the model comprises structural elements, simulating at least one proposed cardiac intervention treatment by adding or deleting structural elements to the model, and determining the effects of the proposed cardiac simulation upon the entire model. Simulations may be repeated to allow the user to determine an optimal cardiac intervention. Additionally, a template may be created from the model to use as a guide during the cardiac intervention.

Claims

1. A method of assessing treatments for a human heart, comprising:

providing at least one image of human heart tissue from the heart to a computer system, wherein the image comprises a plurality of structural elements of the human heart;

performing a first surgical structural modification of at least one of the plurality of structural elements of the human heart;

performing at least a second surgical structural modification of at least one of the plurality of structural elements of the human heart, wherein the second surgical structural modification is performed independent of the first surgical structural modification; and

comparing at least one effect of the first surgical structural modification on the human heart to at least one effect of the second surgical structural modification on the human heart, or comparing at least one effect of the second surgical structural modification on the human heart to at least one effect of the first surgical structural modification on the human heart.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first and at least second modifications of at least one structural element comprises using the computer system to compare the first and at least second modifications of at least one structural element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises a physiological factor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first and at least second modifications of at least one structural element comprises using the computer system to compare the first and at least second modifications of at least one structural element to a database.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer system divides at least one image into a plurality of sections.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the database comprises clinical data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the clinical data comprises data derived from one or more surgical procedures.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises an image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises at least a portion of an image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises a numerical feature.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises a numerical feature derived at least in part from at least a portion of an image.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising extrapolating at least a portion of at least one structural element from at least one image of human heart tissue provided to the computer system.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating at least a portion of at least one structural element from at least one image of human heart tissue provided to the computer system.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least two images to the computer system; and

using at least two images to create at least a second image of human heart tissue, wherein at least a portion of the second image appears at least three-dimensional.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a plurality of images to the computer system; and

using at least some of the plurality of images to create at least a second image of human heart tissue, wherein at least a portion of the second image appears at least four-dimensional.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein one of the dimensions comprises time.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the dimensions comprises at least one physiological factor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one physiological factor comprises hormone B-type natriuretic peptide.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating at least one image of the assessed condition of the heart.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one image of the assessed condition comprises at least a portion appearing three-dimensional.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one image of the assessed condition of the heart comprises color gradients.

22. A method of assessing treatments for a human heart, comprising:

providing a plurality of images of heart tissue from a human heart to a computer system;

using the images to create at least a second image of the heart tissue, wherein the image comprises a plurality of structural elements of the human heart, and wherein at least a portion of the second image appears at least three-dimensional;

performing a first surgical structural modification of at least one of the plurality of structural elements of the human heart;

performing at least a second surgical structural modification of at least one of the plurality of structural elements of the human heart, wherein the second surgical structural modification is performed independent of the first surgical structural modification; and

comparing at least one effect of the first surgical structural modification on the human heart to at least one effect of the second surgical structural modification on the human heart, or comparing at least one effect of the second surgical structural modification on the human heart to at least one effect of the first surgical structural modification on the human heart.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising assessing the comparison of the first modification and at least one second modifications of at least one structural element.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the first modification comprises a plurality of successive modifications of at least one of the plurality of structural elements.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises a physiological factor.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising assessing the comparison of the first modification and at least one second modification, wherein the assessment comprises determining an optimum modification from the first and at least one second modification.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the computer system divides at least one image into a plurality of sections.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises an image.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises at least a portion of an image.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises a numerical feature.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises a numerical feature derived at least in part from at least a portion of an image.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising extrapolating at least a portion of at least one structural element from the plurality of images of human heart tissue provided to the computer system.

33. The method of claim 22, further comprising using the computer system to extrapolate at least a portion of at least one structural element from the plurality of images of human heart tissue provided to the computer system.

34. The method of claim 22, further comprising using the images to create at least a second image of human heart tissue, wherein at least a portion of the second image appears at least four-dimensional.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein one of the dimensions comprises time.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of the dimensions comprises at least one physiological factor.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one physiological factor comprises hormone B-type natriuretic peptide.

38. The method of claim 22, further comprising creating at least one image of the comparison of the first modification and at least one second modification of at least one structural element.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein at least one image of the comparison of the first modification and at least one second modification comprises at least a portion appearing three-dimensional.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein at least one image of the comparison of the first and at least second modifications of at least one structural element comprises color gradients.

41. A method of assessing treatments for a human heart, comprising:

providing at least one image of human heart tissue from the heart to a computer system, wherein the image comprises a plurality of structural elements of the human heart;

performing a surgical structural modification of at least one of the plurality of structural elements of the human heart; and

comparing the surgical structural modification on the human heart to one or more reference modifications on a human heart in a database to assess at least one effect of the modification on the human heart.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein comparing the modification and at least one reference modification comprises using the computer system to compare the modification and at least one reference modification.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the computer system divides at least one image into a plurality of sections.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises a physiological factor.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein the database comprises clinical data.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the clinical data comprises data derived from one or more surgical procedures.

47. The method of claim 41, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises an image.

48. The method of claim 41, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises at least a portion of an image.

49. The method of claim 41, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises a numerical feature.

50. The method of claim 41, wherein at least one of the structural elements comprises a numerical feature derived at least in part from at least a portion of an image.

51. The method of claim 41, further comprising extrapolating at least a portion of at least one structural element from at least one image of human heart tissue provided to the computer system.

52. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

providing at least two images to the computer system; and

using at least two images to create at least a second image of human heart tissue, wherein at least a portion of the second image appears at least three-dimensional.

53. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

providing a plurality of images to the computer system; and

using at least some of the plurality of images to create at least a second image of human heart tissue, wherein at least a portion of the second image appears at least four-dimensional.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein one of the dimensions comprises time.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein at least one of the dimensions comprises at least one physiological factor.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein at least one physiological factor comprises hormone B-type natriuretic peptide.

57. The method of claim 41, further comprising creating at least one image of the assessed effect of the modification.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein at least one image of the assessed effect comprises at least a portion appearing three-dimensional.

59. The method of claim 57, wherein at least one image of the assessed effect of the heart comprises color gradients.