Systems and methods for reporting blood flow characteristics

• US 9,754,082 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Original Assignee: Heartflow Inc.
• Inventors: Taylor, Charles A., Hart, Gregory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weston, Tiffany
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THO Q
• Application Number:
  US14/480,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20150342537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 600504, 600416, 600419, 600410, 600411
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/026 Measuring blood flow A61B3/1233, A61B3/1241 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments include a system for displays 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 model representing at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s heart based on the patient-specific data. The computer system may determine at least one value of the blood flow characteristic within the patient'"'"'s heart based on the model. The computer system may also display a report comprising a representation of at least one artery corresponding to at least a portion the model, and display one or more indicators of the value of the blood flow characteristic on a corresponding portion of the at least one artery.

Claims

1. A system for displaying a blood flow characteristic of a patient, wherein the blood flow characteristic comprises at least one of a blood flow velocity, pressure, flow rate, or fractional flow reserve (FFR), the system comprising:

at least one computer system configured to;

receive patient-specific image data regarding a geometry of the patient'"'"'s heart;

create a model of blood flow through at least a portion of an artery of he patient'"'"'s heart based on the patient-specific image data;

using the created model, non-invasively determine at least one value of the blood flow characteristic within the portion of the artery of the patient'"'"'s heart; and

generate an electronic display comprising at least three parallel, coextensive representations of the portion of the artery and the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic, wherein indicators of the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic in at least two of the representations are aligned, and wherein;

a first representation of the at least three representations comprises a line plotted over a first axis and a second axis, wherein a first end of the first axis corresponds to a proximal end of the portion of the artery, a second end of the first axis corresponds to a distal end of the portion of the artery, and the second axis corresponds to values of the blood flow characteristic;

a second representation of the at least three representations comprises an anatomy image of the portion of the artery oriented parallel to the first axis, wherein a first end of the anatomy image corresponds to a proximal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the first end of the first axis, and a second end of the anatomy image corresponds to a distal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the second end of the first axis; and

a third representation of the at least three representations comprises a model of the portion of the artery oriented parallel to the first axis and an indicator, on the model, of the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic at a corresponding location in the portion of the artery, wherein a first end of the model corresponds to a proximal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the first end of the first axis and the first end of the anatomy image, and a second end of the model corresponds to a distal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the second end of the first axis and the second end of the anatomy image.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a color of the line at a location along the line corresponds to a value of the blood flow characteristic at a corresponding location of the portion of the artery.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the line at a location along the line corresponds to a lumen diameter at a corresponding location of the portion of the artery.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

display a marker on the electronic display comprising the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic, wherein the marker visually indicates a point on the first representation, a first corresponding point on the second representation, and a second corresponding point on the third representation.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the marker is displayed on the electronic display upon detecting that the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic meets a predetermined threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the model of the portion of the artery comprises a three-dimensional representation of the portion of the artery.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first representation further comprises one or more markers along the first axis corresponding to one or more locations of one or more arterial intersections along the portion of the artery.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the model of the portion of the artery comprises a three-dimensional representation of the portion of the artery and corresponds to at least a portion of the model of blood flow, and wherein the first representation, the second representation, and the third representation share the first axis that corresponds to the proximal and distal ends of the portion of the artery.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first axis corresponds to distances of locations of the portion of the artery from the aortic ostium.

2. A computer-implemented method for displaying a blood flow characteristic of a patient, wherein the blood flow characteristic comprises at least one of a blood flow velocity, pressure, flow rate, or fractional flow reserve (FFR), comprising:

receiving patient-specific image data regarding a geometry of the patient'"'"'s heart;

creating, using one or more microprocessors, a model of blood flow through at least a portion of an artery of the patient'"'"'s heart based on the patient-specific image data;

using the created model, non-invasively determining, using the one or more microprocessors, at least one value of the blood flow characteristic within the portion of the artery of the patient'"'"'s heart; and

generating, using the one or more microprocessors, an electronic display comprising at least three parallel, coextensive representations of the portion of the artery and the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic, wherein indicators of the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic in at least two of the representations are aligned, and wherein;

a first representation of the at least three representations comprises a line plotted over a first axis and a second axis, wherein a first end of the first axis corresponds to a proximal end of the portion of the artery, a second end of the first axis corresponds to a distal end of the portion of the artery, and the second axis corresponds to values of the blood flow characteristic;

a second representation of the at least three representations comprises an anatomy image of the portion of the artery oriented parallel to the first axis, wherein a first end of the anatomy image corresponds to a proximal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the first end of the first axis, and a second end of the anatomy image corresponds to a distal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the second end of the first axis; and

a third representation of the at least three representations comprises a model of the portion of the artery oriented parallel to the first axis and an indicator, on the model, of the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic at a corresponding location in the portion of the artery, wherein a first end of the model corresponds to a proximal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the first end of the first axis and the first end of the anatomy image, and a second end of the model corresponds to a distal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the second end of the first axis and the second end of the anatomy image.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein a color of the line at a location along the line corresponds to a value of the blood flow characteristic at a corresponding location of the portion of the artery.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein a thickness of the line at a location along the line corresponds to a lumen diameter at a corresponding location of the portion of the artery.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

displaying a marker on the electronic display comprising the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic, wherein the marker visually indicates a point on the first representation, a first corresponding point on the second representation, and a second corresponding point on the third representation.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the marker is displayed on the electronic display upon detecting that the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic meets a predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the model of the portion of the artery comprises a three-dimensional representation of the portion of the artery.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the first representation further comprises one or more markers along the first axis corresponding to one or more locations of one or more arterial intersections along the portion of the artery.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the model of the portion of the artery comprises a three-dimensional representation of the portion of the artery and corresponds to at least a portion of the model of blood flow, and wherein the first representation, the second representation, and the third representation share the first axis that corresponds to the proximal and distal ends of the portion of the artery.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for displaying a blood flow characteristic of a patient, wherein the blood flow characteristic comprises at least one of a blood flow velocity, pressure, flow rate, or fractional flow reserve (FFR), the method including:

receiving patient-specific image data regarding a geometry of the patient'"'"'s heart;

creating a model of blood flow through at least a portion of an artery of the patient'"'"'s heart based on the patient-specific image data;

using the created model, non-invasively determining at least one value of the blood flow characteristic within the portion of the artery of the patient'"'"'s heart based on the model; and

generating, using the one or more microprocessors, an electronic display comprising at least three parallel, coextensive representations of the portion of the artery and the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic, wherein indicators of the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic in at least two of the representations are aligned, and wherein;

a first representation of the at least three representations comprises a line plotted over a first axis and a second axis, wherein a first end of the first axis corresponds to a proximal end of the portion of the artery, and a second end of the first axis corresponds to a distal end of the portion of the artery, and the second axis corresponds to values of the blood flow characteristic;

a second representation of the at least three representations comprises an anatomy image of the portion of the artery oriented parallel to the first axis, wherein a first end of the anatomy image corresponds to a proximal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the first end of the first axis, and a second end of the anatomy image corresponds to a distal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the second end of the first axis; and

a third representation of the at least three representations comprises a model of the portion of the artery oriented parallel to the first axis and an indicator, on the model, of the at least one value of the blood flow characteristic at a corresponding location in the portion of the artery, wherein a first end of the model corresponds to a proximal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the first end of the first axis and the first end of the anatomy image, and a second end of the model corresponds to a distal end of the portion of the artery and is aligned with the second end of the first axis and the second end of the anatomy image.