Method and system for providing information from a patient-specific model of blood flow

• US 9,063,634 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2014
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Original Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Inventors: Hart, Gregory R., Stevens, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thangavelu, Kandasamy
• Application Number:
  US14/540,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20150073767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 222 Days
• Field of Search: 703/9, 703/11, 600/416, 600/425, 600/508, 600/509, 600/504, 604/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/104 Modelling the effect of the tool, e.g. the effect of an implanted prosthesis or for predicting the effect of ablation or burring
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/023 for the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/026 Measuring blood flow A61B3/1233, A61B3/1241 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0263 using NMR
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7425 Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image geometric transforms for image registration G06T3/14; enhancement using image fusion G06T5/50; algorithms for registration of images G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/748 Selection of a region of interest, e.g. using a graphics tablet
• 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 6/466 adapted to display 3D data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5217 extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 : Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 : Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 : Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 : Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 : 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 : Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 : Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 : involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 : involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 : Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 : Rotation, translation, scaling
• 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 30/20 : for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 : for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 : Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Embodiments include a system for providing blood flow information for a patient. The system may include at least one computer system including a touchscreen. The at least one computer system may be configured to display, on the touchscreen, a three-dimensional model representing at least a portion of an anatomical structure of the patient based on patient-specific data. The at least one computer system may also be configured to receive a first input relating to a first location on the touchscreen indicated by at least one pointing object controlled by a user, and the first location on the touchscreen may indicate a first location on the displayed three-dimensional model. The at least one computer system may be further configured to display first information on the touchscreen, and the first information may indicate a blood flow characteristic at the first location.

Claims

1. A method for providing patient-specific blood flow information using at least a computer including a screen, the method comprising:

receiving patient-specific anatomical data over an electronic network;

generating, based on the received patient-specific anatomical data, a geometric model representing at least a portion of an anatomical structure of a patient;

displaying the geometric model on the screen of the computer;

receiving a first intervention input indicating a first potential location for treatment of the portion of the anatomical structure;

receiving a second intervention input modifying the first potential location for treatment to a second potential location for treatment;

modifying the geometric model based at least upon the second intervention input and the second potential location for treatment;

calculating a characteristic of blood flow through the portion of the anatomical structure being treated based on the received second intervention input at the second potential location for treatment, using the modified geometric model; and

displaying the calculated characteristic of blood flow on the screen of the computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the geometric model is a three-dimensional model.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient-specific anatomical data includes imaging data of at least a portion of an anatomical structure of a patient.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculated characteristic of blood flow is calculated on the computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the second intervention input indicating the second potential location for treatment of the portion of the anatomical structure initiates the modification of the geometric model.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the modification of the geometric model corresponds to placement of a stent, and the computer is further configured to display the stent.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the modification of the geometric model corresponds to a formation of a bypass, and the computer is further configured to display the bypass.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating at least one location for connecting the bypass to the displayed geometric model; and

receiving a user input indicating a change in location or a change in size of the bypass.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, while operating in an inspection mode, the first intervention input relating to the first potential location indicated by a user, the first potential location indicating a first location in the displayed geometric model; and

displaying first information on the screen, the first information indicating the calculated characteristic of blood flow at the first potential location in the geometric model indicated by the first intervention input.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

updating the displayed first intervention information as the user modifies the first potential location and on the displayed geometric model.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

forming a pin at the first potential location, the pin being movable by the user within the geometric model; and

updating, on the screen, the first information regarding the calculated characteristic of blood flow through the anatomical structure as the pin is moved by the user.

12. The method of claim 9, further including:

receiving a mode selection input corresponding to a selection of the inspection mode or a selection of a treatment modeling mode.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculated characteristic of blood flow includes at least one of a pressure gradient, a pressure, a flow rate, a velocity, a computed fractional flow reserve model, and a computed pressure gradient model.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rotating the displayed geometric model in response to a user rotate input, an amount and a direction of rotation depending on a characteristic of the user input.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a zoom on the displayed geometric model in response to a user zoom input, an amount of the zoom depending on a characteristic of the user input.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, while operating in a treatment modeling mode, the first intervention input, causing the computer to generate a display of an intervention at a location of the geometric model corresponding to a location of the first intervention input on the screen;

determining second information regarding the calculated characteristic of blood flow through the anatomical structure based on modification of the geometric model; and

enabling a user to interact with the computer to move the displayed intervention along an anatomical structure to update the determined and displayed second information regarding the calculated characteristic of blood flow based on further modification of the geometric model.

17. The method 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.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the calculated characteristic of blood flow includes a fractional flow reserve indicating a ratio between a pressure at a location in the plurality of coronary arteries and a pressure at a location upstream from the location in the plurality of coronary arteries.

19. A computer system including a screen for providing patient-specific blood flow information for a patient, the computer system configured to:

receive patient-specific anatomical data over an electronic network;

generate, based on the received patient-specific anatomical data, a geometric model representing at least a portion of an anatomical structure of a patient;

display the geometric model on the screen;

receive a first intervention input indicating a first potential location for treatment of the portion of the anatomical structure;

receive a second intervention input modifying the first potential location for treatment to a second potential location for treatment;

modify the geometric model based at least upon the second intervention input and the second potential location for treatment;

calculate a characteristic of blood flow through the portion of the anatomical structure being treated based on the received second intervention input at the second potential location for treatment, using the modified geometric model; and

display the calculated characteristic of blood flow on the screen.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium for use on at least a computer including a screen containing computer-executable programming instructions for providing patient-specific blood flow information, the instructions being executable by the computer for:

receiving patient-specific anatomical data over an electronic network;

generating, based on the received patient-specific anatomical data, a geometric model representing at least a portion of an anatomical structure of a patient;

displaying the geometric model on the screen of the computer;

receiving a first intervention input indicating a first potential location for treatment of the portion of the anatomical structure;

receiving a second intervention input modifying the first potential location for treatment to a second potential location for treatment;

modifying the geometric model based at least upon the second intervention input and the second potential location for treatment;

calculating a characteristic of blood flow through the portion of the anatomical structure being treated based on the received second intervention input at the second potential location for treatment, using the modified geometric model; and

displaying the calculated characteristic of blood flow on the screen.