Method and system for image processing to determine patient-specific blood flow characteristics

• US 9,697,330 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Original Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Inventors: Taylor, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): HEIDEMANN, JASON E
• Application Number:
  US14/986,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20160117816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: None
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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. A method of image processing to determine blood flow through coronary arteries of a patient, comprising:

receiving a 3D image data set of an anatomy comprising at least one or more coronary arteries and myocardial muscle of the patient;

receiving a perfusion information data set measured from the patient and corresponding to the 3D image data set;

generating a three-dimensional anatomical model depicting the anatomy of the patient'"'"'s coronary arteries and the myocardial muscle, based on the 3D image data set;

subdividing the myocardial muscle into myocardial muscle segments based on which portion of the myocardial muscle is supplied by each of the coronary arteries;

determining the blood flow into the respective myocardial muscle segments from said perfusion information data set, by performing a 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of blood flow using the three-dimensional anatomical model;

determining blood flow characteristics at one or more points of a coronary artery of interest, based on the simulated blood flow into all myocardial muscle segments supplied by said coronary artery;

determining an estimate of fractional flow reserve in said coronary artery of interest using the blood flow characteristics; and

outputting one or more of the determined fractional flow reserve, blood flow characteristics, or the three-dimensional model to an electronic storage medium or display.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said 3D image data sets of at least the coronary arteries and the myocardial muscle is generated from a CT scanner.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fractional flow reserve is determined by use of a an analytical pressure calculation model or a reduced order parameter model.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the myocardial muscle is subdivided into myocardial muscle segments using a patient-specific model and/or the 3D image data set.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cross section and/or resistance to flow of the coronary arteries is additionally used in the step determining the blood flow into the coronary artery of interest.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

performing a fractional flow reserve simulation at a plurality of consecutive points in time based on the anatomical data set depicting the anatomy.

7. A computer system for image processing to

determine the blood flow through coronary arteries of a patient, the computer system comprising:

a digital storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the computer system to perform a method for image processing to determine the blood flow through coronary arteries of a patient; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform the method for image processing to determine the blood flow through coronary arteries of a patient, the method comprising;

receiving a 3D image data set of an anatomy comprising at least one or more coronary arteries and myocardial muscle of the patient;

receiving a perfusion information data set measured from the patient and corresponding to the 3D image data set;

generating a three-dimensional anatomical model depicting the anatomy of the patient'"'"'s coronary arteries and the myocardial muscle, based on the 3D image data set;

subdividing the myocardial muscle into myocardial muscle segments based on which portion of the myocardial muscle is supplied by each of the coronary arteries;

determining the blood flow into the respective myocardial muscle segments from said perfusion information data set, by performing a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of blood flow using the three-dimensional anatomical model;

determining blood flow characteristics at one or more points of a coronary artery of interest, based on the simulated blood flow into all myocardial muscle segments supplied by said coronary artery;

determining an estimate of fractional flow reserve in said coronary artery of interest using the blood flow characteristics; and

outputting one or more of the determined fractional flow reserve, blood flow characteristics, or the three-dimensional model to an electronic storage medium or display.

8. An imaging device comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring the anatomical data set depicting the anatomy;

a processor as claimed in claim 7 for determining the blood flow through the one or more coronary arteries; and

an output unit for outputting the determined blood flow into a coronary artery of interest of the one or more coronary arteries.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of image processing to determine blood flow through coronary arteries of a patient, the method comprising:

receiving a 3D image data set of an anatomy comprising at least one or more coronary arteries and myocardial muscle of the patient;

receiving a perfusion information data set measured from the patient and corresponding to the 3D image data set;

generating a three-dimensional anatomical model depicting the anatomy of the patient'"'"'s coronary arteries and the myocardial muscle, based on the 3D image data set;

subdividing the myocardial muscle into myocardial muscle segments based on which portion of the myocardial muscle is supplied by each of the coronary arteries;

determining the blood flow into the respective myocardial muscle segments from said perfusion information data set, by performing a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of blood flow using the three-dimensional anatomical model;

determining blood flow characteristics at one or more points of a coronary artery of interest, based on the simulated blood flow into all myocardial muscle segments supplied by said coronary artery;

determining an estimate of fractional flow reserve in said coronary artery of interest using the blood flow characteristics; and

outputting one or more of the determined fractional flow reserve, blood flow characteristics, or the three-dimensional model to an electronic storage medium or display.

10. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 9, wherein said 3D image data sets of at least the coronary arteries and the myocardial muscle is generated from a CT scanner.

11. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 9, wherein said fractional flow reserve is determined by use of an analytical pressure calculation model or a reduced order parameter model.

12. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 9, wherein the myocardial muscle is subdivided into myocardial muscle segments using a patient-specific model and/or the 3D image data set.

13. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 9, wherein a cross section and/or resistance to flow of the coronary arteries is additionally used in the step determining the blood flow into the coronary artery of interest.

14. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of:

performing a fractional flow reserve simulation at a plurality of consecutive points in time based on the anatomical data set depicting the anatomy.