IP Library Granted Patent US 11,185,368
Granted Patent B2
US 11,185,368 · App. 15/795,590 · Granted Nov 30, 2021

Method and system for image processing to determine blood flow

Inventors: Ryan Leonard Spilker (Arlington, MA); David Eberle (San Francisco, CA); Leo Grady (Millbrae, CA)
Assignee: HeartFlow, Inc.
A61B34/10G06F30/20G06K9/00335G06K9/46G06K9/66G06T7/0012G06T7/11G06T7/20G16H20/40G16H30/20G16H50/20G16H50/50A61B2034/104A61B2034/105A61B2034/107G06K2009/4666G06T2207/20112G06T2207/30096G06T2207/30101G06T2207/30104
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,185,368
App. No.
15/795,590
Granted
Nov 30, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for evaluating cardiovascular treatment options for a patient. One method includes creating a three-dimensional model representing a portion of the patient's heart based on patient-specific data regarding a geometry of the patient's heart or vasculature; and for a plurality of treatment options for the patient's heart or vasculature, modifying at least one of the three-dimensional model and a reduced order model based on the three-dimensional model. The method also includes determining, for each of the plurality of treatment options, a value of a blood flow characteristic, by solving at least one of the modified three-dimensional model and the modified reduced order model; and identifying one of the plurality of treatment options that solves a function of at least one of: the determined blood flow characteristics of the patient's heart or vasculature, and one or more costs of each of the plurality of treatment options.

Claims (40)

1. A system for modifying a three-dimensional model based on one or more anatomical treatment options for a patient comprising:

at least one memory having processor-readable instructions stored therein; and

at least one processor configured to access the memory and execute the processor-readable instructions, which when executed by the processor configures the processor to perform a plurality of operations, the operations comprising:

receiving patient-specific data regarding a geometry of a patient's heart or vasculature;

generating a three-dimensional mesh model representing at least a portion of the patient's heart or vasculature based on the patient-specific data regarding the geometry of the patient's heart or vasculature;

determining a vessel segment of the patient's heart or vasculature to be treated, wherein the vessel segment is bounded by at least two or more points along a vessel;

determining a stent mesh model, using implicit functions to simulate at least one of a plurality of treatment options on the vessel segment, based on the vessel segment of the patient's heart or vasculature;

determining a union of the stent mesh model and the three-dimensional mesh model, the union corresponding to a predicted post-treatment state of the vessel; and

providing the union of the stent mesh model and the three-dimensional mesh model to a display.

2. The system according to claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

causing the display to display a plurality of index values calculated under respective analysis conditions in a manner associated with information indicating the analysis conditions used.

3. The system according to claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

determining a reduced order model representing at least a portion of the patient's heart or vasculature based on the patient-specific data;

specifying a plurality of target sites in the patient's heart or vasculature in the reduced order model, the plurality of target sites corresponding to possible placement locations of a stent or a bypass graft; and

modifying pressure associated with each of the target sites, a condition of a stent to be placed at a given target site, a cross-sectional area at the target site, a shape at the target site, a target range of analysis, or a procedure to be performed on the target site as analysis conditions.

4. The system according to claim 3 , the operations further comprising:

changing at least one of a position at which the stent is to be arranged, a length of the stent, and a diameter of the stent as the condition of the stent.

5. The system according to claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

performing a fluid analysis using the patient-specific data and three-dimensional mesh model to calculate at least one index value relating to blood flow; and

determining at least one of fractional flow reserve, pressure, a flow rate of blood, a flow speed of blood, and a shear stress at respective positions in the patient's heart or vasculature as the at least one index value relating to blood flow.

6. The system according to claim 4 , the operations further comprising:

displaying when at least one of the length and the diameter of the stent is changed as the analysis conditions, at least one of a shortest length and a smallest diameter of the stent having fractional flow reserve in the patient's heart or vasculature exceeding a predetermined value.

7. A method for modifying a three-dimensional model based on one or more anatomical treatment options for a patient comprising:

receiving patient-specific data regarding a geometry of a patient's heart or vasculature;

generating a three-dimensional mesh model representing at least a portion of the patient's heart or vasculature based on the patient-specific data regarding the geometry of the patient's heart or vasculature;

determining a vessel segment of the patient's heart or vasculature to be treated, wherein the vessel segment is bounded by at least two or more points along a vessel;

determining a stent mesh model, using implicit functions to simulate at least one of a plurality of treatment options on the vessel segment, based on the vessel segment of the patient's heart or vasculature;

determining a union of the stent mesh model and the three-dimensional mesh model, the union corresponding to a predicted post-treatment state of the vessel; and

providing the union of the stent mesh model and the three-dimensional mesh model to a display.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:

determining a reduced order model representing at least a portion of the patient's heart or vasculature based on the patient-specific data;

specifying a plurality of target sites in the patient's heart or vasculature in the reduced order model, the plurality of target sites corresponding to possible placement locations of a stent or a bypass graft; and

modifying pressure associated with each of the target sites, a condition of a stent to be placed at a given target site, a cross-sectional area at the target site, a shape at the target site, a target range of analysis, or a procedure to be performed on the target site as analysis conditions.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:

modifying at least one of a position at which the stent is to be arranged, a length of the stent, and a diameter of the stent as the condition of the stent.

10. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:

performing a fluid analysis using the patient-specific data and three-dimensional mesh model to calculate at least one index value relating to blood flow; and

determining at least one of fractional flow reserve, pressure, a flow rate of blood, a flow speed of blood, and a shear stress at respective positions in the patient's heart or vasculature as the at least one index value relating to blood flow.

11. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:

displaying, when at least one of a length and a diameter of the stent is changed, at least one of a shortest length and a smallest diameter of the stent having fractional flow reserve in the patient's heart or vasculature exceeding a predetermined value.

Assignments (5)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 11, 2025
From: HAYFIN SERVICES LLP
To: HEARTFLOW, INC.
Reel/Frame 072876/0775 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 21, 2024
From: HAYFIN SERVICES LLP
To: HEARTFLOW, INC.
Reel/Frame 067801/0032 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 18, 2024
From: HEARTFLOW, INC.
To: HAYFIN SERVICES LLP
Reel/Frame 067775/0966 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 20, 2021
From: HEARTFLOW, INC.
To: HAYFIN SERVICES LLP
Reel/Frame 055037/0890 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 27, 2020
From: SPILKER, RYAN LEONARD; EBERLE, DAVID; GRADY, LEO
To: HEARTFLOW, INC.
Reel/Frame 054478/0772 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 15265284 · Sep 14, 2016
Continuation 15080955 · Mar 25, 2016
Continuation 14323300 · Jul 3, 2014
Continuation 13782307 · Mar 1, 2013
Related Publication 20180055572A1 · Mar 1, 2018
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