Device and computed tomography scanner for determining and visualizing the perfusion of the myocardial muscle

• US 8,831,320 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Bernhardt, Dominik, Scheuering, Michael, Vega-Higuera, Fernando
• Primary Examiner(s): GORADIA, SHEFALI DINESH
• Application Number:
  US13/293,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20120121151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382128-132, 382173-180
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/03 Computed tomography [CT] echo-tomography A61B8/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/503 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/507 for determination of haemodynamic parameters, e.g. perfusion CT
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/18 for evaluating statistical data , e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10076 4D tomography; Time-sequential 3D tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10081 Computed x-ray tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30048 Heart; Cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30104 Vascular flow; Blood flow; Perfusion
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 5/00 ICT specially adapted for modelling or simulations in systems biology, e.g. gene-regulatory networks, protein interaction networks or metabolic networks
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

A device is disclosed for determining and visualizing the perfusion of the myocardial muscle with the aid of static CCTA images. In at least one embodiment, the device includes a segmentation unit for segmenting the coronary blood vessels and the left myocardial muscle from a CCTA image of the heart; a first simulation unit for simulating the blood flow through the coronary blood vessels; and a second simulation unit by which the local perfusion of the myocardial muscle is determined on the basis of the ascertained blood flow into different regions of the myocardial muscle. The perfusion of the different regions of the myocardial muscle is visualized in a schematized image on a visualization unit. By virtue of the proposed device it is possible to dispense with further imaging examinations after the performance of a CCTA scan, thereby relieving the pressure both on the part of the physician and on the part of the patient.

Claims

1. A device for determining and visualizing perfusion of a myocardial muscle with aid of non-dynamic computed tomographic angiography, comprising:

a segmentation unit to segment coronary blood vessels and a left myocardial muscle from a CT image of a heart;

a first simulation unit to simulate a blood flow through the coronary blood vessels on the basis of the segmented coronary blood vessels and to determine from the first simulation, blood flow into different regions of the myocardial muscle into which different branches of the coronary blood vessels lead;

a second simulation unit, by which a local perfusion of the myocardial muscle for the different regions is simulated on the basis of the determined blood flow into the different regions of the myocardial muscle and of the segmented left myocardial muscle; and

a visualization unit, by which an image of the myocardial muscle is visualized from which the perfusion of the different regions of the myocardial muscle is identifiable.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first simulation unit is configured to calculate a model of the coronary blood vessels and of the myocardial muscle on the basis of the segmented coronary blood vessels and of the left myocardial muscle and to perform the simulation of the blood flow with the aid of the model.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first simulation unit is configured to use a statistical model to determine time functions for an arterial inflow and a venous outflow from the CT image on the basis of an accumulation of contrast agent in the coronary blood vessels and the left myocardial muscle.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first simulation unit is additionally configured to use data of an injection protocol used for administering the contrast agent for the purpose of determining the time functions.

5. A computed tomography scanner comprising a device as claimed in claim 2.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first simulation unit is configured to simulate the blood flow through the coronary blood vessels on the basis of the segmented coronary blood vessels using a lattice Boltzmann method.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first simulation unit is configured to use a statistical model to determine time functions for an arterial inflow and a venous outflow from the CT image on the basis of an accumulation of contrast agent in the coronary blood vessels and the left myocardial muscle.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first simulation unit is additionally configured to use data of an injection protocol used for administering the contrast agent for the purpose of determining the time functions.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second simulation unit is configured to initially simulate a dynamic accumulation of contrast agent in the myocardial muscle and then calculate perfusion parameters for the perfusion of the myocardial muscle from this dynamic contrast agent accumulation.

10. A computed tomography scanner comprising a device as claimed in claim 1.