Method and system for patient-specific modeling of blood flow

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.