Method and system for quantifying limitations in coronary artery blood flow during physical activity in patients with coronary artery disease

1. A system for determining information for a patient, the system comprising:

at least one computer system configured to:

receive data describing a geometry of at least a portion of the patient's heart;

determine a three-dimensional model representing the geometry of at least the portion of the patient's heart based on the received data;

identify a cardiac event and a blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event;

determine a physics-based model of blood flow through the three-dimensional model simulated at a selected level of physical activity of the patient, the physics-based model including a resistance to blood flow at the patient's myocardium and the selected level of physical activity being selected from a plurality of physical activity levels;

model the flow of blood through the three-dimensional model using the physics-based model of blood flow through the three-dimensional model simulated at the selected level of physical activity;

calculate, from the modeled flow of blood through the three-dimensional model simulated at the selected level of physical activity, a value of the blood flow characteristic within the patient's heart at the selected level of physical activity;

update the physics-based model of blood flow by reducing the resistance to blood flow at the patient's myocardium through iteratively increasing levels of physical activity;

model the flow of blood through the updated physics-based model simulated at a level of the iteratively increasing levels of physical activity that is higher than the selected level of physical activity;

recalculate a value of the blood flow characteristic within the patient's heart at the level of physical activity higher than the selected level of physical activity to identify a recalculated value of the blood flow characteristic that exceeds the blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event;

determine a maximum level of physical activity, intensity, or exercise for the patient based on the level of physical activity at which the recalculated value of the blood flow characteristic exceeds the blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event; and

determine one or more physical activity recommendations for treatment of the patient based on the determined maximum level of physical activity, intensity, or exercise for the patient.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer system is configured to:

model the flow of blood through the updated physics-based model until a recalculated value of the blood flow characteristic exceeds the blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the blood flow characteristic threshold value is associated with a level of risk of the cardiac event.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one blood flow characteristic is chosen from coronary blood flow, blood pressure, plaque stress, myocardial perfusion, plaque vulnerability, or blood flow associated with a location in the patient's heart comprising a territory at risk.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the physical activity is chosen from aerobic activity and anerobic activity.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cardiac event includes myocardial infarction.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer system is configured to normalize the value of the at least one blood flow characteristic by relating the value of the at least one blood flow characteristic to one or more hypothetical normal values of the at least one blood flow characteristic were the patient without coronary artery disease.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the blood flow characteristic of the blood flow characteristic threshold value is a characteristic associated with a normal state associated with the patient.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional model describing the geometry of at least the portion of the patient's heart 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.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one computer system is configured to:

determine the calculated or recalculated values of the at least one blood flow characteristic at a plurality of locations in the plurality of coronary arteries.

11. A method for determining information for a patient using at least one computer system, the method comprising:

receiving, at the at least one computer system, data describing a geometry of at least a portion of the patient's heart;

determining, using the at least one computer system, a three-dimensional model representing the geometry of at least the portion of the patient's heart based on the received data;

identifying a cardiac event and a blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event;

determining, using the at least one computer system, a physics-based model of blood flow through the three-dimensional model simulated at a selected level of physical activity of the patient the physics-based model including a resistance to blood flow at the patient's myocardium and the selected level of physical activity being selected from a plurality of physical activity levels;

modeling the flow of blood through the three-dimensional model using the physics-based model of blood flow through the three-dimensional model simulated at the selected level of physical activity;

calculating, from the modeled flow of blood through the three-dimensional model simulated at the selected level of physical activity, a value of the blood flow characteristic within the patient's heart at the selected level of physical activity;

updating the physics-based model of blood flow by reducing the resistance to blood flow at the patient's myocardium through iteratively increasing levels of physical activity;

modeling the flow of blood through the updated physics-based model simulated at a level of the iteratively increasing levels of physical activity that is higher than the selected level of physical activity;

recalculating a value of the blood flow characteristic within the patient's heart at the level of physical activity higher than the selected level of physical activity to identify a recalculated value of the blood flow characteristic that exceeds the blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event;

determining a maximum level of physical activity, intensity, or exercise for the patient based on the level of physical activity at which the recalculated value of the blood flow characteristic exceeds the blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event; and

determining one or more physical activity recommendations for treatment of the patient based on the determined maximum level of physical activity, intensity, or exercise for the patient.

12. The method of claim 11 , the method further comprising:

modeling the flow of blood through the updated physics-based model until a recalculated value of the blood flow characteristic exceeds the blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the blood flow characteristic threshold value is associated with a level of risk of the cardiac event.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one blood flow characteristic is chosen from coronary blood flow, blood pressure, plaque stress, myocardial perfusion, plaque vulnerability, or blood flow associated with a location in the patient's heart comprising a territory at risk.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the physical activity is chosen from aerobic activity and anerobic activity.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the cardiac event includes myocardial infarction.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:

normalizing the value of the at least one blood flow characteristic by relating the value of the at least one blood flow characteristic to one or more hypothetical normal values of the at least one blood flow characteristic were the patient without coronary artery disease.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the blood flow characteristic of the blood flow characteristic threshold value is a characteristic associated with a normal state associated with the patient.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising determining a location of a functionally significant narrowing in a coronary artery of the patient's heart based on the calculated or recalculated values of the at least one blood flow characteristic.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the three-dimensional model describing the geometry of at least the portion of the patient's heart 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 calculated or recalculated values of the at least one blood flow characteristic are determined at a plurality of locations in the plurality of coronary arteries.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium for use on at least one computer system containing computer-executable programming instructions for performing a method for determining information for a patient, the method comprising:

receiving describing a geometry of at least a portion of the patient's heart;

determining a three-dimensional model representing the geometry of at least the portion of the patient's heart based on the received data;

identifying a cardiac event and a blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event;

determining a physics-based model of blood flow through the three-dimensional model simulated at a selected level of physical activity of the patient the physics-based model including a resistance to blood flow at the patient's myocardium and the selected level of physical activity being selected from a plurality of physical activity levels;

modeling the flow of blood through the three-dimensional model using the physics-based model of blood flow through the three-dimensional model simulated at the selected level of physical activity;

calculating, from the modeled flow of blood through the three-dimensional model simulated at the selected level of physical activity, a value of the blood flow characteristic within the patient's heart at the selected level of physical activity;

updating the physics-based model of blood flow by reducing the resistance to blood flow at the patient's myocardium through iteratively increasing levels of physical activity;

modeling the flow of blood through the updated physics-based model simulated at a level of the iteratively increasing levels of physical activity that is higher than the selected level of physical activity;

recalculating a value of the blood flow characteristic within the patient's heart at the level of physical activity higher than the selected level of physical activity to identify a recalculated value of the blood flow characteristic that exceeds the blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event;

determining a maximum level of physical activity, intensity, or exercise for the patient based on the level of physical activity at which the recalculated value of the blood flow characteristic exceeds the blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event; and

determining one or more physical activity recommendations for treatment of the patient based on the determined maximum level of physical activity, intensity, or exercise for the patient.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises:

modeling the flow of blood through the updated physics-based model until a recalculated value of the blood flow characteristic exceeds the blood flow characteristic threshold value associated with the cardiac event.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium, of claim 21 , wherein the blood flow characteristic threshold value is associated with a level of risk of the cardiac event.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 , where the at least one blood flow characteristic is chosen from coronary blood flow, blood pressure, plaque stress, myocardial perfusion, plaque vulnerability, or blood flow associated with a location in the patient's heart comprising a territory at risk.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the physical activity is chosen from aerobic activity and anerobic activity.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the cardiac event includes myocardial infarction.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises:

normalizing the value of the at least one blood flow characteristic comprises relating the value of the at least one blood flow characteristic to one or more hypothetical normal values of the at least one blood flow characteristic were the patient without coronary artery disease.