Method and system for patient-specific modeling of blood flow

• US 8,523,779 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Original Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Inventors: Fonte, Timothy A., Taylor, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Natnithithadha, Navin
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERHANU, ETSUB D
• Application Number:
  US13/291,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20120150516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 600/481, 600/485, 600/504, 703/11
• US Class Current: 600/485
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Abstract

Embodiments include a system for determining patient-specific cardiovascular information. The system may include at least one computer system configured to receive patient-specific data regarding a geometry of an anatomical structure of the patient and create a three-dimensional model representing at least a portion of the anatomical structure of the patient based on the patient-specific data. The at least one computer system may be further configured to determine a total resistance associated with a total flow through the portion of the anatomical structure of the patient, and determine information regarding a blood flow characteristic within the anatomical structure of the patient based on the three-dimensional model, a physics-based model relating to the anatomical structure of the patient, and the determined total resistance.

Claims

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

at least one computer system configured to;

receive patient-specific data regarding a geometry of an anatomical structure of the patient, the anatomical structure of the patient including a heart or a brain of the patient;

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

determine, based on the three-dimensional model, a total resistance associated with a total flow through the portion of the anatomical structure of the patient.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the anatomical structure of the patient includes at least a portion of an aorta and at least a portion of a plurality of coronary arteries emanating from the portion of the aorta; and

the total resistance is associated with a total flow through the plurality of coronary arteries.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to:

determine an individual resistance for each of the plurality of coronary arteries based on the determined total resistance; and

determine information regarding a blood flow characteristic based on the determined individual resistances by incorporating the individual resistances into a physics-based model.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to determine the total flow through the portion of the anatomical structure based on a determined mass or volume of at least a portion of the anatomical structure.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to determine the mass or volume of at least a portion of the anatomical structure using the patient-specific data.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the patient-specific data includes imaging data, and the at least one computer system is further configured to determine the mass or volume of at least a portion of the anatomical structure using the imaging data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the information includes at least one of a blood pressure, blood velocity, blood flow rate, or fractional flow reserve within the patient'"'"'s anatomical structure.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the anatomical structure of the patient includes at least one of a portion of a plurality of arteries in the patient'"'"'s heart, neck, head, thorax, abdomen, arms, or legs.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to:

determine information regarding a blood flow characteristic within the anatomical structure of the patient based on the three-dimensional model, a physics-based model relating to the anatomical structure of the patient, and the determined total resistance.

10. 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 an anatomical structure of the patient, wherein the anatomical structure of the patient is a myocardium or brain of the patient;

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

determining, using the at least one computer system, a total resistance associated with a total flow through the portion of the anatomical structure of the patient; and

determining, using the at least one computer system, information regarding a blood flow characteristic within the anatomical structure of the patient based on the three-dimensional model, a physics-based model relating to the anatomical structure of the patient, and the determined total resistance.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, using the at least one computer system, a mass or volume of at least the portion of the anatomical structure of the patient using the patient-specific data; and

determining, using the at least one computer system, the total flow based on the determined mass or volume.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

measuring a blood pressure of the patient, the total resistance being determined based on the measured blood pressure.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the anatomical structure of the patient includes at least a portion of a plurality of connected arteries, and the method further comprises:

determining, using the at least one computer system, an individual resistance for each of the plurality of arteries based on the determined total resistance.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the information includes at least one of a blood pressure, blood velocity, blood flow rate, or fractional flow reserve within the patient'"'"'s anatomical structure.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the anatomical structure of the patient includes at least one of a portion of a plurality of arteries in the patient'"'"'s heart, neck, head, thorax, abdomen, arms, or legs.

16. A system for determining patient-specific cardiovascular information, 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 anatomical structure of the patient including a heart or a brain of the patient;

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

determine, based on the three-dimensional model, a total resistance associated with a total flow through the plurality of coronary arteries, wherein the total resistance is determined based on the measured blood pressure.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to:

determine an individual resistance for each of the plurality of coronary arteries based on the determined total resistance; and

determine information regarding a blood flow characteristic based on the determined individual resistances by incorporating the individual resistances into a physics-based model.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to determine the total flow through the plurality of coronary arteries based on a determined mass or volume of at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s heart.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one computer system is further configured to determine the mass or volume of at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s heart using the patient-specific imaging data.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the information is indicated on a simulation using colors or shading, and changes in the information are indicated by changes in color or shading.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the information includes at least one of a blood pressure, blood velocity, blood flow rate, or fractional flow reserve within the patient'"'"'s anatomical structure.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least computer system is further configured to:

determine information regarding a blood flow characteristic at a plurality of locations within at least the portion of the plurality of coronary arteries based on the three-dimensional model, the determined total resistance, and at least one physics-based model representing 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

prepare a three-dimensional simulation of at least the portion of the plurality of coronary arteries indicating the determined information.

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

receiving, at 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 anatomical structure of the patient including a heart or a brain of the patient;

creating, using the at least one computer system, a three-dimensional model representing at least the portion of the anatomical structure based on the patient-specific imaging data, the three-dimensional model representing at least a portion of an aorta and at least a portion of a plurality of coronary arteries emanating from the portion of the aorta, 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, and based on the three-dimensional model, a total resistance associated with a total flow through the plurality of coronary arteries.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining an individual resistance for each of the plurality of coronary arteries based on the determined total resistance; and

determining information regarding a blood flow characteristic based on the determined individual resistances by incorporating the individual resistances into a physics-based model.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining the total flow through the plurality of coronary arteries based on a mass or volume of at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s heart.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining the mass or volume of at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s heart using the patient-specific imaging data.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the information is indicated on a simulation using colors or shading, and changes in the information are indicated by changes in color or shading.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the information includes at least one of a blood pressure, blood velocity, blood flow rate, or fractional flow reserve within the patient'"'"'s anatomical structure.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving a measured blood pressure of the patient;

determining, using the at least one computer system, information regarding a blood flow characteristic at a plurality of locations within at least the portion of the plurality of coronary arteries based on the three-dimensional model, the determined total resistance, and at least one physics-based model representing 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

preparing, using the at least one computer system, a three-dimensional simulation of at least the portion of the plurality of coronary arteries indicating the determined information.