A dynamic simulation in-vitro experimental device for heart

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of heart dynamic simulation in-vitro experimental device, it is related to the field of computer tomography (CT), including: heart simulation device contains heart model and blood vessel model, the inner surface of the top end of left ventricle of heart model, bottom end inner surface is attached to a pair of first parallel ring;The inner surface of the top end of right ventricle, bottom end inner surface is attached to another pair of second parallel ring;Control device includes single-chip microcomputer, it has for inputting the input module of human heart real movement form electrocardiogram and for the output module of periodic control signal;Motor, it is connected with the output module of single-chip microcomputer for receiving control signal;Piston is connected with motor and does reciprocating motion, drive heart simulation device to occur contraction movement when inhale or occur diastolic movement when inflate;Many thin lines, make a pair of first parallel ring and another pair of second parallel ring rotate around vertical central axis.The application can accurately simulate human heart real movement form and then effectively carry out image calibration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of computed tomography (CT), and in particular to an in vitro experimental device for simulating cardiac dynamics. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of science and technology, computed tomography (CT) has been increasingly used for imaging human moving organs or tissues. Among them, the heart is one of the organs with the highest frequency of movement in the human body, usually beating at a frequency of 60 to 100 times per minute, which results in significant motion artifacts in CT scan images obtained from various angles.

[0003] In existing technologies, to suppress motion artifacts, cardiac gating techniques are commonly used clinically to reconstruct cardiac images from CT scan data obtained during relatively stable cardiac motion. However, limitations imposed by the number of CT detector rows, rotation speed, and the presence of patients with high heart rates often prevent the entire heart from being scanned within the same cardiac cycle. This can lead to the reconstructed heart shape not matching the actual heart shape due to the influence of heartbeats, thus affecting clinicians' observation of specific anatomical structures and diagnosing the condition. Therefore, cardiac CT image calibration is crucial.

[0004] However, existing in vitro experimental devices for cardiac CT image calibration cannot accurately simulate the actual motion of the human heart, and therefore cannot effectively perform image calibration. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides an in vitro experimental device for simulating cardiac dynamics, which can solve the problem in the prior art that it is impossible to accurately simulate the real motion pattern of the human heart and thus effectively perform image calibration.

[0006] This invention provides an in vitro experimental device for simulating cardiac dynamics, comprising: a cardiac simulation device including a heart model comprising a left ventricle, a right ventricle, a left atrium, and a right atrium, and a vascular model attached to the surface of the heart model; wherein a pair of first parallel rings are attached to the inner surfaces of the top and bottom of the left ventricle of the heart model, and the pair of first parallel rings can rotate in opposite directions around the vertical central axis of the left ventricle; another pair of second parallel rings are attached to the inner surfaces of the top and bottom of the right ventricle of the heart model, and the other pair of second parallel rings can rotate in opposite directions around the vertical central axis of the right ventricle; the pair of first parallel rings includes a first upper ring and a first lower ring, and the other pair of second parallel rings includes a second upper ring and a second lower ring; a control device includes: a microcontroller, which includes an input module for inputting an electrocardiogram of the actual motion morphology of the human heart and an output module for outputting periodic control signals; the input module can analyze the actual motion morphology of the human heart. The system monitors whether the cardiac cycle of the electrocardiogram (ECG) has reached the initial systolic or diastolic phase. The output module can output corresponding control signals based on whether the cardiac cycle has reached the initial systolic or diastolic phase. A motor, connected to the output module of the microcontroller, receives the control signals. A piston, connected to the motor, drives the piston to reciprocate after receiving the corresponding control signals. The output end of the piston is connected to the internal cavities of the left ventricle, left atrium, right ventricle, and right atrium of the cardiac simulation device, driving the cardiac simulation device to contract during inhalation or diastolic during inflation. Multiple thin wires, one end of which is connected to the motor, and the other end of which are respectively connected to the rear arm of the first upper ring and the front arm of the first lower ring, as well as the rear arm of the second upper ring and the front arm of the second lower ring, so that a pair of first parallel rings rotate around the vertical central axis of the left ventricle, and another pair of second parallel rings rotate around the vertical central axis of the right ventricle.

[0007] Furthermore, the periodic control signals include: control signal one output by the microcontroller, when the input module analyzes the cardiac cycle of the electrocardiogram of the real human heart's motion pattern and reaches the initial systolic moment, the motor receives control signal one and drives the piston to move, causing the heart model to contract. At the same time, the multiple thin wires controlled by the microcontroller control a pair of first parallel coils and another pair of second parallel coils to rotate around the axis to simulate the real torsional state of the left and right ventricles; control signal two output by the microcontroller, when the input module analyzes the cardiac cycle of the electrocardiogram of the real human heart's motion pattern and reaches the initial diastolic moment, the motor receives control signal two and drives the piston to move, causing the heart model to diastolic.

[0008] Furthermore, the control signal output by the microcontroller is a cardiac contraction signal, the trigger time of which is the initial moment of contraction of the electrocardiogram of the actual motion pattern of the human heart input by the input module, and the trigger duration is from the initial moment of contraction to the end moment of contraction.

[0009] Furthermore, the second control signal output by the microcontroller is an ECG gating signal, the trigger time of which is the initial diastolic moment of the ECG of the actual human heart motion morphology input by the input module, and the trigger duration is from the initial diastolic moment to the end diastolic moment.

[0010] Furthermore, the heart model is 3D printed using an elastic material with the same density as the human heart, so that the HU value of each part in the heart model is the same as the HU value of the real human heart.

[0011] Furthermore, the vascular model includes: large blood vessels connected to the heart; the large blood vessels include: the aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, and superior and inferior vena cava.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes: a CT scanner, on which the cardiac simulation device is fixedly placed, and the CT scanner is used to scan the cardiac simulation device; and a display connected to the cardiac simulation device for displaying CT images.

[0013] This invention provides an in vitro experimental device for simulating cardiac dynamics, which has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0014] The heart and blood vessel models used in this invention are 3D printed from an elastic material with a density similar to that of the human heart. This ensures that the HU value of each part in the heart and blood vessel models closely approximates the HU value of the actual human cardiovascular system, thus simulating a human heart CT image. The microcontroller used controls the motor's speed and direction, thereby controlling the piston to reciprocate at a certain speed, achieving the diastolic and systolic movements of the heart model that correspond to the heart rate and systolic / diastolic phase of the input electrocardiogram.

[0015] As can be seen from the above description, this invention can accurately simulate the real motion pattern of the human heart, providing an in vitro experimental simulation device for cardiac CT image calibration technology, and ultimately accurately calibrating CT images. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an in vitro experimental device for simulating cardiac dynamics, provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure label:

[0018] 1-CT scanner, 2-Heart simulation device, 21-Parallel coil, 3-Control device, 31-Microcontroller, 32-Motor, 33-Piston, 34-Multiple thin wires, 4-Display. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0020] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0021] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0022] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0023] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "beneath" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0024] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0025] See Figure 1 This invention provides an in vitro experimental device for dynamic cardiac simulation, comprising: a CT scanner 1; a cardiac simulation device 2 fixedly placed on the CT scanner 1 for scanning; a control device 3 connected to the cardiac simulation device 2 for controlling its movement; and a display 4 connected to the cardiac simulation device 2 for displaying CT images. The cardiac simulation device includes a heart model comprising a left ventricle, right ventricle, left atrium, and right atrium, and a vascular model attached to the surface of the heart model. A pair of first parallel coils 21 and another pair of second parallel coils 21 are attached to the inner surfaces of the left and right ventricles of the heart model, respectively. The control device 3 includes a microcontroller 31 for setting an electrocardiogram, a motor 32 controlled by the microcontroller 31, a piston 33 connected to the motor 32 for inflating and inhaling the cardiac simulation device 2, and multiple thin wires 34 controlled by the motor 32 for controlling the movement of the pair of first and second parallel coils 21. The microcontroller 31 controls the simulation of cardiac movement.

[0026] Furthermore, the microcontroller 31 includes an input module for inputting the electrocardiogram and an output module for outputting control signals. When the cardiac cycle reaches the initial systolic phase, the microcontroller 31 outputs control signal one. Upon receiving control signal one, the motor drives the piston 33 to move, causing the heart model to contract. Simultaneously, multiple thin wires 34, controlled by the motor 32, wirelessly control a pair of first parallel coils 21 and another pair of second parallel coils 21 to rotate in opposite directions around the vertical central axis of the left ventricle or around the vertical central axis of the right ventricle, simulating the actual torsional state of the left and right ventricles. When the cardiac cycle reaches the initial diastolic phase, the microcontroller 31 outputs control signal two. Upon receiving control signal two, the motor drives the piston 33 to move, causing the heart model to diastolic. Immediately, the CT scanner performs a full-heart scan, and the display 4 displays the full-heart CT image triggered by control signal two. After obtaining the CT image, it is used for cardiac CT image calibration to obtain accurate results.

[0027] Furthermore, the heart model is 3D printed using an elastic material with a density similar to that of the human heart, making the HU value of each part in the heart model close to that of the real human heart. The vascular model includes, but is not limited to, the major blood vessels connected to the heart, including the aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, and superior and inferior vena cava. A pair of first and second parallel coils 21 are attached to the inner surfaces of the left and right ventricles, respectively, located at the top and bottom of the left and right ventricles. When the microcontroller 31 outputs a control signal, multiple thin wires 34 control the pair of first and second parallel coils 21 to rotate in opposite directions around the central axis of the ventricle at a certain angular velocity, thereby realizing the torsional motion of the left and right ventricles and more realistically simulating the movement of the heart.

[0028] Furthermore, the microcontroller 31 can control the motor speed and direction, and thus control the piston 33 to reciprocate at a certain speed through a series of gear linkage devices, thereby realizing the diastolic and systolic movements of the heart model consistent with the heart rate and systolic-diastolic phase of the input electrocardiogram. The first control signal output by the microcontroller 31 is a cardiac contraction signal, triggered at the initial systolic moment of the electrocardiogram input by the input module, and lasting from the initial systolic moment to the end of systole. The second control signal output by the microcontroller 31 is an electrocardiogram gating signal, triggered at the initial diastolic moment of the electrocardiogram input by the input module, and lasting from the initial diastolic moment to the end of diastole. The CT scanner 1 includes CT gantry modules with various scanning parameters, including but not limited to the number of rows and rotation speed. The microcontroller used can control the CT scanner to perform a full-heart scan by outputting electrocardiogram gating signals, thereby automatically obtaining cardiac CT images. The CT scanner includes CT gantry modules with various scanning parameters, including the number of rows and rotation speed. The number of rows varies from 32, 64, 128, to 256, and the rotation speed is 0.2 to 1 second / revolution.

[0029] A specific example is as follows:

[0030] When in use, first set the CT machine 1 with specific scanning parameters, and input the electrocardiogram information into the microcontroller 31 in the control device 3, and then start the microcontroller 31.

[0031] When the initial systolic moment in the electrocardiogram is reached, the microcontroller 31 automatically outputs control signal one, causing the heart model in the heart simulation device 2 to contract. When the initial diastolic moment in the electrocardiogram is reached, the microcontroller 31 automatically outputs control signal two, causing the heart model to diastolic, and simultaneously triggering the CT scanner 1 to perform a whole-heart scan, displaying the whole-heart CT image on the display 4.

[0032] Finally, the obtained CT images can be used for cardiac CT image calibration.

[0033] This invention can accurately simulate the movement of the human heart and the actual torsional state of the left and right ventricles during systole, providing an in vitro experimental simulation device for image calibration of dynamic cardiac CT images.

[0034] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cardiac dynamic simulation in vitro experimental device, characterized in that, include: The heart simulation device (2) includes: a heart model comprising a left ventricle, a right ventricle, a left atrium, and a right atrium, and a blood vessel model attached to the surface of the heart model, wherein a pair of first parallel rings are attached to the inner surface of the top and bottom of the left ventricle of the heart model, and the pair of first parallel rings can rotate in opposite directions around the vertical central axis of the left ventricle; another pair of second parallel rings are attached to the inner surface of the top and bottom of the right ventricle of the heart model, and the other pair of second parallel rings can rotate in opposite directions around the vertical central axis of the right ventricle; the pair of first parallel rings includes a first upper ring and a first lower ring, and the other pair of second parallel rings includes a second upper ring and a second lower ring; The control device (3) includes: The microcontroller (31) includes an input module for inputting the electrocardiogram of the actual motion pattern of the human heart and an output module for outputting periodic control signals; the input module can analyze whether the cardiac cycle of the electrocardiogram of the actual motion pattern of the human heart has reached the early systolic or early diastolic phase; the output module can output corresponding control signals according to whether the cardiac cycle has reached the early systolic or early diastolic phase. The motor (32) is connected to the output module of the single-chip microcomputer (31) and is used to receive control signals; The piston (33) is connected to the motor (32). After receiving the corresponding control signal, the motor (32) drives the piston (33) to reciprocate. The output end of the piston (33) is connected to the internal cavity of the left ventricle, left atrium, right ventricle and right atrium of the heart simulation device (2), driving the heart simulation device (2) to contract when inhaling or to relax when inflated. Multiple thin wires (34) are connected at one end to the motor (32), and at the other end of the multiple thin wires (34) are respectively connected to the rear arm of the first upper ring and the front arm of the first lower ring, as well as the rear arm of the second upper ring and the front arm of the second lower ring, so that a pair of first parallel rings rotate around the vertical central axis of the left ventricle, and another pair of second parallel rings rotate around the vertical central axis of the right ventricle.

2. The cardiac dynamic simulation in vitro experimental device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The periodic control signals include: When the input module analyzes the electrocardiogram of the real human heart movement pattern and the cardiac cycle reaches the initial moment of contraction, the motor receives the control signal and drives the piston (33) to move, so that the heart model will contract. At the same time, the multiple thin wires (34) controlled by the microcontroller (31) control a pair of first parallel coils and another pair of second parallel coils to rotate around the axis to simulate the real torsional state of the left and right ventricles. When the input module analyzes the electrocardiogram of the real human heart movement pattern and the cardiac cycle reaches the early diastolic stage, the motor receives the second control signal and drives the piston (33) to move, so that the heart model undergoes diastolic movement.

3. The cardiac dynamic simulation in vitro experimental device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The control signal output by the microcontroller (31) is a heart contraction signal. Its trigger time is the initial moment of contraction of the electrocardiogram of the actual movement pattern of the human heart input by the input module, and the trigger duration is from the initial moment of contraction to the end moment of contraction.

4. The cardiac dynamic simulation in vitro experimental device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The second control signal output by the microcontroller (31) is an electrocardiogram gating signal. Its trigger time is the initial diastolic moment of the electrocardiogram of the actual motion pattern of the human heart input by the input module, and the trigger duration is from the initial diastolic moment to the end diastolic moment.

5. The cardiac dynamic simulation in vitro experimental device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The heart model is 3D printed using an elastic material with the same density as the human heart, so that the HU value of each part in the heart model is the same as the HU value of the real human heart.

6. The cardiac dynamic simulation in vitro experimental device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vascular model includes: large blood vessels connected to the heart; the large blood vessels include: the aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, and superior and inferior vena cava.

7. The cardiac dynamic simulation in vitro experimental device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A CT scanner (1) is used to scan the cardiac simulation device (2). The display (4), which is connected to the CT machine (1), is used to display CT images.

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