Systems and methods for automatically determining myocardial bridging and patient impact

1. A computer-implemented method for determining risks of myocardial bridging in a patient, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of patient-specific multiphase images;

generating, based on the plurality of multiphase images, a patient-specific mesh model of the patient's heart;

computing cross-sectional areas for one or more segments of the patient-specific mesh model;

computing, from the computed cross-sectional areas of the patient-specific mesh model, systolic compression of at least one selected segment of the segments of the patient-specific mesh model;

computing, at the at least one selected segment, a value of a hemodynamic characteristic using a computational fluid dynamics or structural mechanics analysis; and

outputting a coronary risk assessment for the patient or outputting a hemodynamic significance of the systolic compression in the patient-specific mesh model, based on the computed value of the hemodynamic characteristic.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hemodynamic characteristic includes blood flow rate, pressure gradient over cardiac cycles, systolic and diastolic pressure gradients, fractional flow reserve, and/or Pd/Pa.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient-specific mesh model includes a geometry of the patient's ascending aorta, coronary artery tree, and myocardium.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

computing the systolic compression further based on stored systolic compression associated with one or more individuals other than the patient.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

receiving, for each of the one or more individuals, one or more characteristics including age, sex, heart rate, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, epicardial fat volume, myocardial mass, regional density of myocardium, ejection fraction, myocardial contractility, depth of coronary artery in relation to epicardium surface, and/or a length of a bridged segment; and

computing a systolic compression associated with each of the received one or more characteristics, wherein the stored systolic compression is based on the computed systolic compression.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

computing systolic compression associated with an individual other than the patient, based on the computed systolic compression at the at least one selected segment.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a physiologic condition associated with the patient; and

computing, at the at least one selected segment, the value of the hemodynamic characteristic using a computational fluid dynamics or structural mechanics analysis conducted at the determined physiologic condition.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a change in vessel diameter based on the computed cross-sectional area of the at least one selected segment;

computing the systolic compression at the at least one selected segment based on literature data associated with the determined change in vessel diameter.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

outputting a treatment option for treating the at least one selected segment.

10. A system for reporting the presence of myocardial bridging in a patient, the system comprising:

a data storage device storing instructions for reporting the presence of myocardial bridging in a patient; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method including:

receiving a plurality of patient-specific multiphase images;

generating, based on the plurality of multiphase images, a patient-specific mesh model of the patient's heart;

computing cross-sectional areas for one or more segments of the patient-specific mesh model;

computing, from the computed cross-sectional areas of the patient-specific mesh model, systolic compression of at least one selected segment of the segments of the patient-specific mesh model;

computing, at the at least one selected segment, a value of a hemodynamic characteristic using a computational fluid dynamics or structural mechanics analysis; and

outputting a coronary risk assessment for the patient or outputting a hemodynamic significance of the systolic compression in the patient-specific mesh model, based on the computed value of the hemodynamic characteristic.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the hemodynamic characteristic includes blood flow rate, pressure gradient over cardiac cycles, systolic and diastolic pressure gradients, fractional flow reserve, and/or Pd/Pa.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the patient-specific mesh model includes a geometry of the patient's ascending aorta, coronary artery tree, and myocardium.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the system is further configured for:

computing the systolic compression further based on stored systolic compression associated with one or more individuals other than the patient.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the system is further configured for:

receiving, for each of the one or more individuals, one or more characteristics including age, sex, heart rate, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, epicardial fat volume, myocardial mass, regional density of myocardium, ejection fraction, myocardial contractility, depth of coronary artery in relation to epicardium surface, and/or a length of a bridged segment; and

computing a systolic compression associated with each of the received one or more characteristics, wherein the stored systolic compression is based on the computed systolic compression.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the system is further configured for:

computing systolic compression associated with an individual other than the patient, based on the computed systolic compression at the at least one selected segment.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the system is further configured for:

determining a physiologic condition associated with the patient; and

computing, at the at least one selected segment, the value of the hemodynamic characteristic using a computational fluid dynamics or structural mechanics analysis conducted at the determined physiologic condition.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the system is further configured for:

determining a change in vessel diameter based on the computed cross-sectional area of the at least one selected segment;

computing the systolic compression at the at least one selected segment based on literature data associated with the determined change in vessel diameter.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium for use on at least one computer system containing computer-executable programming instructions for performing a method for reporting the presence of myocardial bridging in a patient, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of patient-specific multiphase images;

generating, based on the plurality of multiphase images, a patient-specific mesh model of the patient's heart;

computing cross-sectional areas for one or more segments of the patient-specific mesh model;

computing, from the computed cross-sectional areas of the patient-specific mesh model, systolic compression of at least one selected segment of the segments of the patient-specific mesh model;

computing, at the at least one selected segment, a value of a hemodynamic characteristic using a computational fluid dynamics or structural mechanics analysis; and

outputting a coronary risk assessment for the patient or outputting a hemodynamic significance of the systolic compression in the patient-specific mesh model, based on the computed value of the hemodynamic characteristic.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the hemodynamic characteristic includes blood flow rate, pressure gradient over cardiac cycles, systolic and diastolic pressure gradients, fractional flow reserve, and/or Pd/Pa.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the patient-specific mesh model includes a geometry of the patient's ascending aorta, coronary artery tree, and myocardium.