Method and system for designing a stent - Patent application

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for designing a stent is described that includes providing a first image of a 3D model of at least a portion of a body part including an aneurysm for display; receiving the locations of each of a plurality of reference points selected along the body part; inserting a visual marker in the first image at the location of each reference point, thereby obtaining a second image; inserting; providing the second image for display; calculating, for each reference point, a respective diameter; calculating at least one length using the locations of the reference points; and outputting the respective diameter and the at least one length.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Field The present technology relates to the fields of medical imaging, surgical planning, surgical execution and the vasculature. More particularly, the present technology relates to methods and systems for designing stents. [Background technology]

[0002] background Measurement of vascular tissue geometry is required for both open and percutaneous repairs for preoperative patient monitoring and planning of surgical intervention. Surgical planning is required to ensure that stents and grafts are properly sized and properly constructed for the individual patient's anatomy. Errors in stent sizing and construction can result in delayed, inappropriate or inaccurate treatment, or serious complications, including death.

[0003] Geometric measurements are generally based on 3D medical imaging, including CT, MRI, and 3D ultrasound modalities. Typically, the vessels of interest are segmented, either manually or automatically, and presented to the physician on a computer screen. Physicians often use electronic calipers to perform geometric measurements, including diameter, angle, and length. However, vascular tissues such as arteries are complex three-dimensional structures that curve and twist in multiple planes, making them difficult to measure accurately on a two-dimensional computer screen.

[0004] Physicians often use 3D medical imaging programs to measure blood vessel geometry using a number of advanced imaging techniques designed to enable more accurate measurements, however these advanced imaging techniques are highly complex, time consuming to use, and prone to human error.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for improved methods and systems for designing stents. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] overview The purpose of the present technology is to remedy at least some of the disadvantages existing in the prior art. One or more embodiments of the present technology may provide an approach and / or method to achieve the goals and objectives of the technology and / or extend its scope.

[0007] The developers of this technology recognize that the present technique for designing stents may be inaccurate because it relies on a medical practitioner to measure parameters of a subject's anatomy. However, vascular tissue such as arteries is a complex three-dimensional structure that curves and twists in multiple planes, making it difficult to measure accurately on a 2D computer screen.

[0008] The present methods and systems enable much faster stent planning without substantially compromising accuracy. They further enable a stent planning system that does not rely on curved or multi-planar reconstructions, does not distort 3D anatomy familiar to medical practitioners, does not rely on electronic calipers, and is highly automated, thereby minimizing user effort. This results in fewer errors in the design of the stent and better patient outcomes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to a first broad aspect, a computer-implemented method for designing a stent includes: providing a first image of a 3D model of a body portion of a subject for display, the body portion including at least an infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, an aneurysm above the infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, an aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a left common iliac artery and a right common iliac artery; receiving locations of each of a plurality of reference points, the reference points including at least an inflection point of the suprarenal segment, a base of the neck of the aneurysm, a base of the aneurysm, a first point and a second point on the left common iliac artery, and a first point and a second point on the right common iliac artery; inserting a visual marker at the location of each reference point within the first image, thereby obtaining a second image; providing the second image for display; and calculating a respective diameter for each reference point. calculating a first neck length using the location of the suprarenal segment inflection point and the location of the bottom of the aneurysm neck, calculating a second left landing area length using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the left common iliac artery, calculating a third right landing area length using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the right common iliac artery, calculating a fourth left leg of the stent and a fifth right leg of the stent using the locations of some of the reference points, calculating a suprarenal neck angle using the location of the suprarenal segment inflection point and the location of the bottom of the aneurysm neck, and calculating an infrarenal neck angle using the location of the bottom of the aneurysm neck and the location of the bottom of the aneurysm, and outputting the respective diameter, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle for each reference point.

[0010] In one embodiment, the visual markers are perpendicular to the centerline. In one embodiment, the fourth length is determined using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of one of the first and second points on the left common iliac artery, and the fifth length is determined using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of the first and second points on the right common iliac artery.

[0011] In one embodiment, the method further includes generating an image of the stent using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, the infrarenal neck angle and a given predetermined length of the body of the stent, and combining the image of the stent on the image with the first image, thereby obtaining, combining, and providing the further image for display.

[0012] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a location of a bifurcation between the left common iliac artery and the right common iliac artery.

[0013] In one embodiment, the method further comprises calculating and outputting the diameter of the infrarenal segment at the bifurcation point.

[0014] In one embodiment, the method further includes determining a sixth length using a location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and a location of the bifurcation point, wherein the calculating of the fourth length is performed using the location of the bifurcation point and one of a first point and a second point on the left common iliac artery, and the calculating of the fifth length is performed using the location of the bifurcation point and one of a first point and a second point on the right common iliac artery.

[0015] In one embodiment, the method further includes generating an image of the stent using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, the fifth length and the sixth length, the suprarenal neck angle and the infrarenal neck angle, and combining the image of the stent on the image with the first image, thereby obtaining, combining, and providing the further image for display.

[0016] In one embodiment, the outputting step includes providing for display the respective diameter, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle and the infrarenal neck angle of each reference point.

[0017] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a new position of the visual marker and moving the visual marker to a new position in the second image, thereby obtaining an updated image, providing the updated image for display, and calculating a further diameter at the new position.

[0018] In one embodiment, the visual marker of the new position is perpendicular to the centerline. In one embodiment, the method further comprises providing an additional diameter for indication.

[0019] In one embodiment, the method further includes generating a reference image of the body portion including at least a portion of a stylized infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, a stylized aneurysm, a stylized aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a first stylized common iliac artery and a second stylized common iliac artery; inserting a visual indicator of each of a plurality of reference points within the reference image; and providing the reference image for display.

[0020] In one embodiment, the reference image further includes a plurality of interactive boxes each associated with a respective reference point.

[0021] In one embodiment, the step of inserting a visual marker into the first image is performed only after receiving an indication that a given one of the interactive boxes has been selected.

[0022] In one embodiment, the 3D model includes one of a RAW map, a distortion map, an anatomy map, an ILT map, and a growth map.

[0023] In one embodiment, each diameter includes one of a maximum diameter, a minimum diameter, and a given circular equivalent diameter.

[0024] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a respective iliac point for each of the first and second common iliac arteries and calculating a respective curvature angle at each iliac point.

[0025] In one embodiment, the method further comprises providing each curvature angle for display.

[0026] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving an identification of the 3D model and retrieving the 3D model from the database.

[0027] In one embodiment, the body portion further includes at least a portion of the suprarenal segment of the thoracic aorta.

[0028] In one embodiment, the method further includes calculating a maximum diameter of the aneurysm and providing the maximum diameter of the aneurysm for display.

[0029] In one embodiment, generating an image of the stent includes accessing a database including predefined stent pieces; selecting an appropriate stent piece from among the predefined stent pieces using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, the infrarenal neck angle and a given predetermined length of the body of the stent, where the appropriate stent pieces together form the stent; and generating an image of the stent using the image of the appropriate stent piece.

[0030] In one embodiment, generating an image of the stent includes accessing a database including predefined stent pieces; selecting an appropriate stent piece from among the predefined stent pieces using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, the fifth length and the sixth length, the suprarenal neck angle and the infrarenal neck angle, where the appropriate stent pieces together form a stent; and generating an image of the stent using the image of the appropriate stent piece.

[0031] According to another broad aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method for designing a stent, the method including: providing a first image of a 3D model of at least a portion of a body part including an aneurysm for display; receiving positions of each of a plurality of reference points selected along the body part; inserting a visual marker in the first image at the position of each reference point, thereby obtaining a second image; providing the second image for display; calculating, for each reference point, a respective diameter; calculating at least one length using the positions of the reference points; and outputting the respective diameter and the at least one length.

[0032] According to a further broad aspect, a system for designing a stent includes a processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the processor receiving, upon execution of the instructions, a first image of a 3D model of a body portion of a subject for display, the body portion including at least an infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, an aneurysm above the infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, an aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a left common iliac artery and a right common iliac artery; receiving locations of each of a plurality of reference points, the reference points including at least an inflection point of the suprarenal segment, a base of the neck of the aneurysm, a base of the aneurysm, a first point and a second point on the left common iliac artery, and a first point and a second point on the right common iliac artery; inserting a visual marker at the location of each reference point within the first image, thereby obtaining a second image; and providing the second image for display. and for each reference point, calculate a respective diameter; calculate a first neck length using the location of the suprarenal segment inflection point and the location of the bottom of the aneurysm neck, calculate a second left landing area length using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the left common iliac artery, calculate a third right landing area length using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the right common iliac artery, calculate a fourth left leg of the stent and a fifth right leg of the stent using the locations of some of the reference points; calculate a suprarenal neck angle using the location of the suprarenal segment inflection point and the location of the bottom of the aneurysm neck, and calculate an infrarenal neck angle using the location of the bottom of the aneurysm neck and the location of the bottom of the aneurysm; and output the respective diameter, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle for each reference point.

[0033] In one embodiment, the visual markers are perpendicular to the centerline. In one embodiment, the fourth length is determined using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of one of the first and second points on the left common iliac artery, and the fifth length is determined using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of the first and second points on the right common iliac artery.

[0034] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to generate an image of the stent using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, the infrarenal neck angle and a given predetermined length of the body of the stent, and to combine the image of the stent on the image with the first image, thereby obtaining, combining, and providing the further image for display.

[0035] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to receive a location of a bifurcation between the left common iliac artery and the right common iliac artery.

[0036] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to calculate and output a diameter of the infrarenal segment at the bifurcation point.

[0037] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to determine a sixth length using a location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and a location of the bifurcation point, wherein the calculating of the fourth length is performed using a location of the bifurcation point and one of a first point and a second point on the left common iliac artery, and the calculating of the fifth length is performed using a location of the bifurcation point and one of a first point and a second point on the right common iliac artery.

[0038] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to generate an image of the stent using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, the fifth length and the sixth length, the suprarenal neck angle and the infrarenal neck angle, and to combine the image of the stent on the image with the first image, thereby acquiring, combining and providing the further image for display.

[0039] In one embodiment, the outputting includes providing for display the respective diameter, first length, second length, third length, fourth length and fifth length, suprarenal neck angle and infrarenal neck angle of each reference point.

[0040] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to receive a new position of the visual marker, move the visual marker to a new position in the second image, thereby obtaining an updated image, provide the updated image for display, and calculate a further diameter at the new position.

[0041] In one embodiment, the visual marker of the new position is perpendicular to the centerline. In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to provide an additional diameter for display.

[0042] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to generate a reference image of the body portion including at least a portion of a stylized infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, a stylized aneurysm, a stylized aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a first stylized common iliac artery and a second stylized common iliac artery; insert a visual indicator of each of the plurality of reference points within the reference image; and provide the reference image for display.

[0043] In one embodiment, the reference image further includes a plurality of interactive boxes each associated with a respective reference point.

[0044] In one embodiment, the inserting of a visual marker into the first image is performed only after receiving an indication that a given interactive box has been selected.

[0045] In one embodiment, the 3D model includes one of a RAW map, a distortion map, an anatomy map, an ILT map, and a growth map.

[0046] In one embodiment, each diameter includes one of a maximum diameter, a minimum diameter, and a given circular equivalent diameter.

[0047] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to receive, for each of the first and second common iliac arteries, a respective iliac point and calculate a respective curvature angle at the respective iliac point.

[0048] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to provide the respective curvature angles for display.

[0049] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to receive an identification of the 3D model and retrieve the 3D model from the database.

[0050] In one embodiment, the body portion further includes at least a portion of the suprarenal segment of the thoracic aorta.

[0051] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to calculate a maximum diameter of the aneurysm and provide the maximum diameter of the aneurysm for display.

[0052] In one embodiment, generating an image of the stent includes accessing a database including predefined stent segments, selecting an appropriate stent segment from among the predefined stent segments using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, the infrarenal neck angle and a given predetermined length of the body of the stent, where the appropriate stent segments together form a stent, and generating an image of the stent using the image of the appropriate stent segment.

[0053] In one embodiment, generating an image of the stent includes accessing a database including predefined stent segments; selecting an appropriate stent segment from among the predefined stent segments using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, the fifth length and the sixth length, the suprarenal neck angle and the infrarenal neck angle, where the appropriate stent segments together form a stent; and generating an image of the stent using the image of the appropriate stent segment.

[0054] According to yet another broad aspect, a system for designing a stent is provided, the system comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the processor being configured, upon execution of the instructions, to: provide a first image of a 3D model of at least a portion of a body part including an aneurysm for display; receive positions of each of a plurality of reference points selected along the body part; insert a visual marker in the first image at the position of each reference point, thereby obtaining a second image; providing the second image for display; calculating, for each reference point, a respective diameter; calculating at least one length using the positions of the reference points; and outputting the respective diameter and the at least one length.

[0055] In the following, the expression "centerline" refers to the centerline of the anatomy, i.e. the centerline of the wall of the aorta or artery. In embodiments where a thrombus is present, the centerline refers to the centerline of the lumen.

[0056] Terms and Definitions In the context of this specification, a "server" is a computer program running on suitable hardware and capable of receiving requests (e.g., from an electronic device) over a network (e.g., a communications network) and executing those requests or causing those requests to be executed. The hardware may be, but need not be, a physical computer or a physical computer system. In this context, the use of the expression "server" does not imply that all tasks (e.g., received instructions or requests) or any particular task are received, executed, or caused to be executed by the same server (i.e., the same software and / or hardware). It is intended to mean that any number of software elements or hardware devices may be involved in receiving / transmitting, executing, or causing to be executed any task or request, or the results of any task or request. All of this software and hardware may be a server or multiple servers, both of which are included in the expressions "at least one server" and "server".

[0057] In the context of this specification, an "electronic device" is any computing device or computer hardware capable of executing software appropriate for the relevant task at hand. Thus, some (non-limiting) examples of electronic devices include general-purpose personal computers (desktop, laptop, netbook, etc.), mobile computing devices, smartphones, and tablets, as well as network equipment such as routers, switches, and gateways. It should be noted that electronic devices in this context are not excluded from acting as servers to other electronic devices. The use of the expression "electronic device" does not exclude multiple electronic devices being used to receive / send, execute, or cause to be executed any task or request, or the results of any task or request, or the steps of any method described herein. In the context of this specification, a "client device" refers to any of a variety of end-user client electronic devices associated with a user, such as a personal computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.

[0058] In the context of this specification, unless otherwise specified, a computer system may refer to, but is not limited to, an "electronic device," "computing device," "operation system," "system," "computer-based system," "computer system," "network system," "network device," "controller unit," "monitoring device," "controller," "server," and / or any combination thereof appropriate to the relevant task at hand.

[0059] In the context of this specification, the expression "computer-readable storage medium" (also referred to as "storage medium" and "storage") is intended to include non-transitory media of any nature and type, including but not limited to RAM, ROM, disks (CD-ROM, DVD, floppy disk, hard drives, cloud storage, etc.), USB keys, solid state drives, tape drives, etc. Multiple components, including two or more media components of the same type and / or two or more media components of different types, may be combined to form a computer information storage medium.

[0060] In the context of this specification, a "database" is any structured collection of data, regardless of its particular structure, database management software, or computer hardware on which the data is stored, implemented, or otherwise made available. A database may reside on the same hardware as the processes that store or utilize the information stored in the database, or it may reside on separate hardware, such as a dedicated server or multiple servers.

[0061] In the context of this specification, the expression "information" includes information of any nature or type that can be stored in a database. Information thus includes, but is not limited to, audiovisual works (images, videos, audio recordings, presentations, etc.), data (location data, numerical data, etc.), text (opinions, comments, questions, messages, etc.), documents, spreadsheets, lists of words, etc.

[0062] In the context of this specification, unless otherwise specified, an "indication" of an information element may be the information element itself, or a pointer, reference, link, or other indirect mechanism that allows the recipient of the indication to locate a network, memory, database, or other computer-readable media location from which the information element can be retrieved. For example, an indication of a document may include the document itself (i.e., its contents), or may be a unique document descriptor that identifies the file with respect to a particular file system, or some other means that directs the recipient of the indication to a network location, memory address, database table, or other location from which the file can be accessed. As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, the degree of precision required for such indications depends on the degree of any prior understanding of the interpretation to be given to the information exchanged between the sender and recipient of the indication. For example, if it is understood that the indication of an information element takes the form of a database key for an entry in a particular table of a given database that contains the information element, prior to communication between the sender and recipient of the indication, then transmission of the database key is all that is necessary to effectively convey the information element to the recipient, even if the information element itself was not transmitted as such between the sender and recipient of the indication.

[0063] In the context of this specification, the expression "communications network" is intended to include telecommunications networks such as computer networks, the Internet, telephone networks, telex networks, TCP / IP data networks (e.g., WAN networks, LAN networks, etc.), etc. The term "communications network" includes wired networks or direct-wired connections, as well as wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared and other wireless media, and combinations of any of the above.

[0064] In the context of this specification, words such as "first", "second", "third", etc. are used as adjectives only for the purpose of enabling the nouns they modify to be distinguished from one another, and not for the purpose of describing any particular relationship between those nouns. Thus, for example, it should be understood that the use of the terms "first server" and "third server" is not intended to imply any particular order, type, chronology, hierarchy, or ranking (for example) of / among servers, nor is their use (alone) intended to imply that any "second server" must necessarily be present in any given situation. Moreover, as described in other contexts herein, reference to a "first" element and a "second" element does not exclude that the two elements are the same actual real-world element. Thus, for example, in some cases, the "first" server and the "second" server may be the same software and / or hardware, and in other cases, they may be different software and / or hardware.

[0065] Each embodiment of the present technology will have at least one, but not necessarily all, of the above-mentioned objects and / or aspects, and it will be understood that some aspects of the present technology that arise out of an attempt to achieve the above-mentioned object may not meet this object and / or may meet other objects not specifically recited herein.

[0066] Additional and / or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of implementations of the present technology will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

[0067] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the present technology as well as other aspects and further features, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0068] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a computer-implemented method for designing a stent in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an image of a portion of an anatomy including an aorta endowed with an aneurysm and two common iliac arteries, in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Diagram 5] 5 corresponds to the image of the aorta of FIG. 4 with a first fiducial marker added, in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 corresponds to the image of the aorta of FIG. 4 with nine fiducial markers added, in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 illustrates an image of the aorta from FIG. 4 showing the suprarenal and infrarenal angles of the aneurysm neck in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 illustrates a first rotation of the aorta of FIG. 4 in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 illustrates a first rotation of the aorta of FIG. 4 in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 10] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the aorta of FIG. 4 in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 11] FIG. 5 illustrates the curvature of the two common iliac arteries of FIG. 4 in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 12] 5 illustrates the anatomical portion of FIG. 4 and an image including a stylized representation of the anatomical portion, in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 13]13 is a diagram corresponding to the image of FIG. 12 with fiducial markers added onto the image of the anatomical portion in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 14] 13 is a diagram corresponding to the image of FIG. 12 with nine fiducial markers added onto the image of the anatomical portion, in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 15] FIG. 5 illustrates the anatomical portion of FIG. 4 integrated with an image of a designed stent in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 illustrates a stent for a thoracic aortic aneurysm being inserted into the thoracic aorta in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0069] Detailed Description The examples and conditional language described herein are intended primarily to help the reader understand the principles of the present technology, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present technology to such specifically described examples and conditions. It will be understood that a person skilled in the art can devise various configurations that are not explicitly described or illustrated herein, but nevertheless embody the principles of the present technology and are included within its spirit and scope.

[0070] Moreover, to aid in understanding, the following description may describe a relatively simplified implementation of the technology. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various implementations of the technology may be more complex.

[0071] In some cases, what are considered to be useful examples of modifications to the technology may also be described. This is merely to aid in understanding, and again, is not intended to define the scope or delineate the boundaries of the technology. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and one of ordinary skill in the art may make other modifications while still remaining within the scope of the technology. Furthermore, if an example of a modification is not described, the modification is not possible and / or it should not be construed that what is described is the only way to implement that element of the technology.

[0072] Furthermore, all statements herein that describe the principles, aspects, and implementations of the present technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, any block diagrams herein will be understood by those skilled in the art to represent conceptual diagrams of exemplary processing circuits that embody the principles of the present technology. Similarly, any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocodes, and the like will be understood to represent various processes that may be executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly shown.

[0073] The functionality of the various elements illustrated in the figures, including any functional blocks labeled "processor" or "graphics processing unit," may be provided using dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functionality may be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or multiple individual processors, some of which may be shared. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), or a processor dedicated to a specific purpose, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU). Furthermore, explicit use of the terms "processor" or "controller" should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, but may implicitly include, but is not limited to, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included.

[0074] Software modules, or modules that are simply implied to be software, may be represented herein as any combination of flowchart elements or other elements and / or textual descriptions illustrating the performance of process steps. Such modules may be executed by explicitly or implicitly shown hardware.

[0075] With these fundamentals in mind, some non-limiting examples will now be considered to illustrate various implementations of aspects of the present technology.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of an electronic device 100 suitable for use in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology is shown.

[0077] Electronic Devices The electronic device 100 comprises various hardware components, including one or more single-core or multi-core processors, collectively represented by a processor 110, a graphics processing unit (GPU) 111, a solid-state drive 120, random access memory 130, a display interface 140, and an input / output interface 150.

[0078] Communications between the various components of electronic device 100 may be enabled by one or more internal and / or external buses 160 (e.g., PCI bus, Universal Serial Bus, IEEE 1394 "Firewire" bus, SCSI bus, Serial ATA bus, etc.) by which the various hardware components are electronically coupled.

[0079] The input / output interface 150 can be coupled to a touchscreen 190 and / or one or more internal and / or external buses 160. The touchscreen 190 may be part of a display. In some embodiments, the touchscreen 190 is a display. The touchscreen 190 may equally be referred to as a screen 190. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the touchscreen 190 comprises touch hardware 194 (e.g., pressure-sensitive cells embedded in a layer of the display that enable detection of physical interaction between a user and the display) and a touch input / output controller 192 that enables communication with the display interface 140 and / or one or more internal and / or external buses 160. In some embodiments, the input / output interface 150 may be connected to a keyboard (not shown), a mouse (not shown), or a trackpad (not shown) in addition to or instead of the touchscreen 190 that enables a user to interact with the electronic device 100.

[0080] According to an embodiment of the present technology, the solid-state drive 120 stores program instructions suitable for being loaded into the random access memory 130 and executed by the processor 110 and / or the GPU 111 to train and use machine learning models for pre-intervention planning and post-intervention monitoring of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). For example, the program instructions may be part of a library or an application.

[0081] The electronic device 100 may be implemented in the form of a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, or any device that can be configured to implement the present technology, as can be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0082] system Referring to FIG. 3, a schematic diagram of a communication system 200, referred to as system 200, is shown, which is suitable for implementing a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. It should be clearly understood that the illustrated system 200 is merely an exemplary implementation of the present technology. Thus, the following description thereof is intended to be merely an explanation of an exemplary embodiment of the present technology. This description is not intended to define the scope of the present technology or to denote the boundaries of the present technology. In some cases, what are considered to be useful examples of modifications of the system 200 may also be described below. This is merely to aid in understanding, and again, is not intended to define the scope of the present technology or to denote the boundaries of the present technology. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and other modifications are likely possible, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, if this has not been done (i.e., no examples of modifications are described), the modifications are not possible and / or it should not be construed that what is described is the only way to implement that element of the present technology. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, this is likely not the case. In addition, it should be understood that the system 200 may provide a simple implementation of the present technology in certain cases, and in such cases, they are presented in this manner to aid in understanding. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various implementations of the present technology may be more complex.

[0083] The system 200 includes, among other things, a workstation computer 215, a server 230, and a database 235 coupled through a communications network 220 via respective communications links 225 (not separately numbered).

[0084] In one or more embodiments, at least a portion of the system 200 implements Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) technology.

[0085] Workstation Computer The workstation computer 215 is configured to allow a user to design a stent.

[0086] Implementations of the workstation computer 215 are known in the art. The workstation computer 215 may be implemented as the electronic device 100 or may include its components, such as the processor 110, the graphics processing unit (GPU) 111, the solid-state drive 120, the random access memory 130, the display interface 140, and the input / output interface 150.

[0087] In one or more embodiments, the workstation computer 215 is configured according to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard for communication and management of medical imaging information and related data.

[0088] In one or more embodiments, the workstation computer 215 may store the images in a local database (not shown).

[0089] The workstation computer 215 is connected to the server 230 through the communications network 220 via respective communications links 225. In one or more embodiments, the workstation computer 215 can transmit images and / or multi-phase stacks to the server 230 and / or database 235 for storage and / or processing thereof.

[0090] server In one or more embodiments of the present technology, the server 230 may, among other things: providing a first image of a 3D model of a body part of a subject for display, the body part including an infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, an aneurysm above the infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, at least a portion of an aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a left common iliac artery and a right common iliac artery; receiving a location of each of a plurality of reference points, the reference points including at least an inflection point of the suprarenal segment, a base of the neck of the aneurysm, a base of the aneurysm, a first point and a second point on the left common iliac artery, and a first point and a second point on the right common iliac artery; inserting a visual marker at the location of each fiducial point in the first image, thereby acquiring a second image; Providing a second image for display; determining a respective diameter for each reference point; determining a first length of the neck using the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment and the location of the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm; determining a second length of the left landing area using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the left common iliac artery; determining a third length of the right landing area using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the right common iliac artery; determining a fourth length of the left leg of the stent and a fifth length of the right leg of the stent using the locations of some of the reference points; determining a suprarenal neck angle using the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment (i.e., where the suprarenal segment of the aorta appears to bend) and the location of the base of the aneurysm neck, and determining an infrarenal neck angle using the location of the base of the aneurysm neck and the location of the base of the aneurysm; outputting the diameter, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle of each reference point; The present invention is configured to:

[0091] The manner in which the server 230 is configured to do so is described in more detail below.

[0092] Server 230 may be implemented as a conventional computer server and may include some or all of the components of electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 2. In one example of one or more embodiments of the present technology, server 230 may be implemented as a Dell™ PowerEdge™ server running a Microsoft™ Windows Server™ operating system. Of course, server 230 may be implemented in any other suitable hardware and / or software and / or firmware or combination thereof. In the illustrated non-limiting embodiment of the present technology, server 230 is a single server. In alternative non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the functionality of server 230 may be distributed and implemented across multiple servers (not shown).

[0093] Implementations of server 230 are well known to those skilled in the art of the technology. Briefly, however, server 230 comprises a communication interface (not shown) structured and configured to communicate with various entities (such as workstation computer 215 and other devices potentially coupled to network 220) via communication network 220. Server 230 further comprises at least one computer processor (e.g., processor 110 or GPU 111 of electronic device 100) operably coupled to the communication interface and structured and configured to execute various processes described herein.

[0094] In one or more embodiments, server 230 may be implemented as electronic device 100 or may include its components, such as processor 110, graphics processing unit (GPU) 111, solid-state drive 120, random access memory 130, display interface 140, and input / output interface 150.

[0095] It will be appreciated that the server 230 can provide the output of one or more processing steps to another electronic device for display, review, and / or troubleshooting. As a non-limiting example, the server 230 can transmit maps (e.g., distortion maps, RAW maps, ILT maps, etc.) and results of the evaluation (pre-EVAR and post-EVAR) for display on a client device configured similarly to the electronic device 100, such as a smartphone, tablet, etc.

[0096] Database The database 235 is configured to, among other things, store (i) a DICOM stack, (ii) an anatomical structure 3D model, (iii) images, and / or (iv) predefined parameters or characteristic values.

[0097] In one or more embodiments, database 235 can store ML file formats such as .tfrecord, .csv, .npy, and .petastorm, as well as file formats used to store models such as .pb and .pkl. In one or more embodiments, database 235 may also store well-known file formats such as, but not limited to, image file formats (e.g., .png, .jpeg), video file formats (e.g., .mp4, .mkv, etc.), archive file formats (e.g., .zip, .gz, .tar, .bzip2), document file formats (e.g., .docx, .pdf, .txt), or web file formats (e.g., .html).

[0098] It will be appreciated that the database 235 may store other types of data, such as a validation data set (not shown), a test data set (not shown), and so on.

[0099] Communication Network In some embodiments of the present technology, the communication network 220 is the Internet. In alternative non-limiting embodiments, the communication network 220 can be implemented as any suitable local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), private communication network, etc. It should be clearly understood that the implementation of the communication network 220 is for illustrative purposes only. How the communication links 225 (not separately numbered) between the workstation computer 215 and / or the server 230 and / or another electronic device (not shown) and the communication network 220 are implemented depends, among other things, on how each of the medical imaging device 210, the workstation computer 215, and the server 230 are implemented.

[0100] The communications network 220 may be used to transmit data packets between the workstation computer 215, the server 230, and the database 235. For example, the communications network 220 may be used to transmit requests between the workstation computer 215 and the server 230.

[0101] Show me how 3 shows a flow chart of a method 300 for designing a stent, in accordance with one or more non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. The stent is to be inserted into a subject's abdominal aorta for treatment of an aneurysm. The method 300 is used by a medical practitioner, such as a doctor, surgeon, etc., to determine relevant characteristics of the subject's anatomy that will be used in the design of the stent. For example, the method 300 allows the medical practitioner to precisely determine the diameter, angle, distance, etc. of the anatomy.

[0102] In one or more embodiments, server 230 comprises a processing device, such as processor 110 and / or GPU 111, operably connected to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as solid-state drive 120 and / or random access memory 130, that stores computer-readable instructions. The processing device is configured or operable to perform method 300 upon execution of the computer-readable instructions.

[0103] The method 300 begins at a processing step 302. A first image 400 of a 3D model is provided for display to a user. The 3D model represents a portion of a subject's real anatomy. The body or anatomy portion includes at least a portion of a suprarenal segment 402 of the subject's thoracic aorta, an aneurysm 404 present in the aorta, an aortic bifurcation 406, and at least a portion of two common iliac arteries 408 and 410. As shown in FIG. 4. It should be understood that the portion of the suprarenal segment 402 may be omitted in the image 400 and / or the entire common iliac arteries 408 and 410 may be included in the image 400.

[0104] It should be understood that image 400 is an image of a subject's real anatomy. In one embodiment, image 400 is a life-size image of the anatomy.

[0105] In one embodiment, image 400 is a 2D image of a 3D model. In another embodiment, image 400 is a 3D image of a 3D model.

[0106] In one embodiment, the user can rotate the image 400 to see different views of the represented anatomy.

[0107] When the image 400 is displayed on a user display, the user selects the locations of a number of reference points on the displayed image. The location of each selected point is then received in process step 304.

[0108] It should be appreciated that any suitable method can be used to select the location of the reference point. For example, a user can use a mouse to right-click on displayed image 400 at the desired location of the reference point. In another example where image 400 is displayed on a touch screen, a user can touch the screen at the desired location of the reference point.

[0109] In one embodiment, the user already knows which reference point must be selected on the image, In the same or another embodiment, the user may be provided with instructions that define the reference point to be selected.

[0110] In one embodiment, the reference points selected by the user include at least the following reference points: the inflection point of the suprarenal segment, the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm, the bottom of the aneurysm, a first point and a second point on the left common iliac artery, and a first point and a second point on the right common iliac artery. The inflection point of the suprarenal segment and the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm are selected to define a landing area for the neck of the stent, while the first and second points selected on the left common iliac artery are selected to define a landing area for the left leg of the stent, and the first and second points selected on the right common iliac artery are selected to define a landing area for the right leg of the stent.

[0111] In this embodiment, and as described below, a nominal length for the body of the stent is stored in memory and used to design the stent.

[0112] In one embodiment, the reference points further include the bifurcation between the left common iliac artery and the right common iliac artery. In this embodiment, the base of the aneurysm neck and the bifurcation are used to define the length of the body of the stent, e.g., the length of the body of the stent is selected based on the location of the base of the aneurysm neck and the bifurcation. In one embodiment, the length of the body of the stent is selected to be less than the distance between the base of the aneurysm neck and the bifurcation.

[0113] In processing step 304, for each reference point identified by the user, a respective visual marker is generated and inserted into the first image at the location received from the user. For example, Figure 5 shows a second image 420 of the anatomy corresponding to the first image 400 with a visual marker 422 inserted at the location of the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm selected by the user. The bottom of the neck defines the bottom of the landing area for the stent.

[0114] In the illustrated embodiment, the visual marker 422 is a line perpendicular to the centerline of the aorta at the selected location. In embodiments in which the image 400 is a 3D image, the visual marker may be a portion of a plate or plane perpendicular to the centerline of the aorta at the selected location. It should be understood that any suitable visual marker that allows for visualization of the selected location within the image may be used.

[0115] Once generated, the second image 420 is provided for display. It should be appreciated that the second image 422 is displayed to the user in place of the first image 400.

[0116] It should be appreciated that a visual marker, such as visual marker 422, is inserted into image 400 for each reference point at each receiving position selected by the user.

[0117] 6 shows a third image 430 of the anatomy corresponding to the first image 400 with nine visual markers 422 and 432-446 each added at a respective location selected by a user. In the illustrated example, the visual markers 422 and 432-446 each correspond to a line perpendicular to the centerline of the anatomy at the respective location.

[0118] A visual marker 432 is positioned at a user selected location for the inflection point of the suprarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, which defines the upper portion of the landing area within the suprarenal segment of the aorta.

[0119] As mentioned above, visual marker 422 indicates the location of the bottom of the aneurysm neck selected by the user.

[0120] A visual marker 436 indicates the location selected by the user for the base of the aneurysm. A visual marker 440 indicates a selected location for a first reference point on the left common iliac artery, and a visual marker 442 indicates a selected location for a second reference point on the left common iliac artery. In the illustrated embodiment, the visual marker 442 is positioned at the bifurcation of the left common iliac artery 408, i.e., the point where the left common iliac artery 408 divides into the left internal iliac artery and the left external iliac artery.

[0121] A visual marker 444 indicates a selected location for a first reference point on the right common iliac artery, and a visual marker 446 indicates a selected location for a second reference point on the right common iliac artery. In the illustrated embodiment, the visual marker 446 is positioned at the bifurcation point of the right common iliac artery 410, i.e., the point where the right common iliac artery 410 divides into the right internal iliac artery and the right external iliac artery.

[0122] Optionally, the user selects the location of the center of the aneurysm, and a visual marker 434 is inserted at the selected location. The user can also select the location of the bifurcation between the left and right common iliac arteries, and a visual marker 438 is inserted in the image.

[0123] In one embodiment, the visual markers are inserted into the image 400 as soon as the locations of the reference points are received from the user. In another embodiment, the visual markers are inserted into the image 400 once the locations of all the reference points have been received.

[0124] In process step 310, for at least some of the reference points, each location of which is selected by the user, a diameter of the anatomical structure at each location perpendicular to the centerline is determined using the 3D model of the anatomical structure. For example, the diameter of the infrarenal segment of the abdominal aorta is determined at the location received from the user for the inflection point of the suprarenal segment, i.e., the diameter of the cross section of the infrarenal segment at the location received for the inflection point perpendicular to the centerline of the infrarenal segment at that location is calculated.

[0125] In one embodiment, the diameter of the anatomical structure is determined for at least the following reference points: the inflection point of the suprarenal segment represented by visual marker 432, the bottom of the aneurysm neck represented by visual marker 422, first and second points selected on the left common iliac artery represented by visual markers 440 and 442, respectively, and first and second points on the right common iliac artery represented by visual markers 444 and 446.

[0126] In one embodiment, the diameter is also determined for the following additional reference points: the base of the aneurysm represented by visual marker 432, the center of the aneurysm represented by visual marker 434, and / or the branch point represented by visual marker 438.

[0127] Since anatomical structures are usually not symmetrical, the diameter of the anatomical structure may not be constant in a cross-section of the anatomical structure. In one embodiment, the diameter determined in process step 310 and associated with the reference point corresponds to the maximum diameter of the cross-section at the location of the reference point. In another embodiment, the diameter determined in process step 310 and associated with the reference point corresponds to the minimum diameter of the cross-section at the location of the reference point. In a further embodiment, the diameter determined in process step 310 corresponds to a combination of the maximum and minimum diameters, such as the average of the maximum and minimum diameters. In yet another embodiment, the diameter determined in process step 310 corresponds to an equivalent circle diameter. In this case, process step 310 includes measuring the circumference of the cross-section of the anatomical structure at the location of the reference point and determining the diameter of a circle whose circumference is equal to the determined circumference.

[0128] Herein, the diameter of the reference point is determined in process step 310, however, one skilled in the art will appreciate that process step 310 may include determining the radius of the cross section at the location of the reference point instead of the diameter, since diameter and radius are equivalent.

[0129] In process step 312, a number of distances or lengths between at least some of the reference points are calculated using the 3D model. In one embodiment, in process step 312, at least five lengths are calculated.

[0130] In one embodiment, the length or distance between two reference points is taken along the centerline of the anatomical structure.

[0131] The first length corresponds to the length of the neck of the stent and corresponds to the distance between the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment identified by visual marker 432 in FIG. 6 and the location of the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm identified by visual marker 422.

[0132] The second length corresponds to the length of the landing area in the left common iliac artery and corresponds to the distance between the locations of the first and second reference points on the left common iliac artery represented by visual markers 440 and 442.

[0133] The third length corresponds to the length of the landing area in the right common iliac artery and corresponds to the distance between the locations of the first and second reference points on the right common iliac artery represented by visual markers 444 and 446.

[0134] The fourth length is associated with the left common iliac artery and corresponds to the distance between the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment identified by visual marker 432 or the location of the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm identified by visual marker 422 and the location of one of two reference points on the left common iliac artery identified by visual markers 440 and 442.

[0135] The fifth length is associated with the right common iliac artery and corresponds to the distance between the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment identified by visual marker 432 or the location of the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm identified by visual marker 422 and the location of one of two reference points on the right common iliac artery identified by visual markers 444 and 446.

[0136] In embodiments where the location of the bifurcation point identified by visual marker 438 is selected by the user, a sixth length may be determined. The sixth length may correspond to the distance between the location of the bifurcation point and the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment identified by visual marker 432, or the location of the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm identified by visual marker 422 is further determined. In this case, the fourth length may be associated with the left common iliac artery and may correspond to the distance between the location of the bifurcation point and one of two reference points on the left common iliac artery identified by visual markers 440 and 442. Similarly, the fifth length may be associated with the right common iliac artery and may correspond to the distance between the location of the bifurcation point and one of two reference points on the right common iliac artery identified by visual markers 444 and 446.

[0137] In process step 314, the suprarenal neck angle α and the infrarenal neck angle β are determined using the 3D model. More precisely, the suprarenal neck angle α is determined using the location of the suprarenal segment inflection point and the location of the base of the aneurysm neck, and the infrarenal neck angle β is determined using the location of the suprarenal segment inflection point, the location of the base of the aneurysm neck, and the location of the base of the aneurysm, as described below.

[0138] 7, the suprarenal neck angle α corresponds to the angle between the centerline 450 of the suprarenal segment and an axis 452 passing through the center of the cross section at the location of the inflection point and the center of the cross section at the location of the base of the aneurysm neck. The infrarenal neck angle β corresponds to the angle between the axis 452 and an axis 454 passing through the center of the cross section at the location of the base of the aneurysm neck and the center of the cross section at the location of the base of the aneurysm.

[0139] In embodiments in which the values ​​of the superior renal neck angle α and the inferior renal neck angle β vary depending on the view of the 3D model, the most severe or maximum superior renal neck angle α and the most severe or maximum inferior renal neck angle β are determined in processing step 314.

[0140] In one embodiment, the most severe superior renal neck angle α and inferior renal neck angle β are determined as follows:

[0141] To determine the most severe suprarenal neck angle α, as shown in FIG. 8, rotate the 3D model around visual marker 432 to obtain a view perpendicular to the center of the suprarenal neck angle α, and then rotate the 3D model 360° around axis 452 to obtain the most severe angle α between axes 452 and 450 over 360° as the suprarenal neck angle α.

[0142] The most severe infrarenal neck angle β is determined similarly. As shown in FIG 9, the 3D model is rotated around the visual marker 422 to obtain a view perpendicular to the center of the infrarenal neck angle β, and then the 3D model is rotated 360° around the axis 452 to obtain the most severe angle β between the axes 452 and 454 over 360° as the infrarenal neck angle β.

[0143] In process step 316, the determined parameters, namely the diameter determined in process step 310, the distance determined in process step 312, and the angle determined in process step 314, are output.

[0144] In one embodiment, the determined parameters are stored in memory. In the same or another embodiment, the determined parameters are provided for display.

[0145] The method 300 then ends. In one embodiment, the reference points include at least the inflection point of the suprarenal segment, the base of the aneurysm neck, the base of the aneurysm, the bifurcation point, a given point on the first common iliac artery, and a given point on the second common iliac artery, however, it should be understood that the reference points may include more points than those listed above.

[0146] It should be understood that the order in which the process steps 310-316 are performed may vary. For example, each time a location of a fiducial point is received from the user, the diameter of the anatomical structure associated with the fiducial point may be determined and output before the location of another fiducial point is received. Alternatively, the diameter may be displayed to the user only when the locations of all fiducial points are received from the user. In another example, the distance between two fiducial points and / or the suprarenal neck angle α and / or the infrarenal neck angle β are determined and output as soon as they can be determined. Alternatively, the determined distance and / or the determined angle may be displayed to the user only when all distances and angles are determined. Similarly, visual markers may be inserted into the image 400, and the updated image is displayed to the user as soon as the location of its respective fiducial point is received. Alternatively, the visual marker may be displayed to the user only upon the location of all fiducial points being received from the user.

[0147] In one embodiment, each of the visual markers 422 and 432-446 is interactive, i.e., a user can select a visual marker and move it to another position to better define a location of the fiducial point associated therewith. In this case, the new location of the visual marker defining the location of the fiducial point associated with the fiducial marker is transmitted to the server 230, and the method 300 further includes a processing step of receiving the new location of the fiducial point. The method further includes calculating a parameter, e.g., a diameter of the anatomical structure at the new location, using the new location, and outputting the new value of the parameter.

[0148] In an embodiment where the visual markers 422, 432-446 are interactive, the markers are generated and displayed to the user perpendicular to the centerline. Because the visual markers 422, 432-446 are interactive, the user is able to move the visual markers 422, 432-446 from an initial position to a second position. In one embodiment, when in the final position, the visual markers 422, 432-446 are positioned within the displayed image perpendicular to the centerline. In one embodiment, the visual markers 422, 432-446 are displayed to the user while the user is moving the visual markers 422, 432-446 from the initial position to the final position, i.e., the visual markers 422, 432-446 are displayed to the user at each intermediate position between the initial position and the final position. In one embodiment, for each intermediate position, the visual marker 422, 432-446 is positioned within the displayed image so as to be perpendicular to the center line, i.e., the visual marker 422, 432-446 remains perpendicular to the center line while the user moves the visual marker 422, 432-446.

[0149] In one embodiment, the user may display a cross-sectional view of the anatomical structure at a location where the diameter must be determined, the cross-sectional view may be taken orthogonal to the centerline. For example, the user may select visual marker 422 and display a cross-sectional view of the anatomical structure at this location. In this case, method 300 includes a processing step of generating a cross-sectional view of the 3D model at a location indicated by the user, e.g., a location corresponding to visual marker 422. FIG. 10 shows an exemplary cross-sectional view 470 at a location indicated by the user, with visual markers 472, 474 and / or 476 added before being displayed to the user. Visual marker 472 corresponds to the smallest diameter of the cross-section of the aorta at the location indicated by the user. Visual marker 474 corresponds to the longest diameter of the cross-section of the aorta at the location indicated by the user. Visual diameter 476 is a circle centered on the center of the cross-section of the aorta and whose circumference corresponds to the outer circumference of the cross-section. In one embodiment, only one of visual markers 472-476 may be generated. In another embodiment, only two of the visual markers 472-476 may be generated.

[0150] The visual markers 472-476 are interactive, i.e., the user can modify them, for example, the user can enlarge the circle 476, and a new diameter of the circle 476 is determined and output as the new diameter associated with the location selected by the user.

[0151] In one embodiment, the method 300 further includes determining a curvature of the first common iliac artery 408 and / or the second common iliac artery 410. In this case, the method 300 further includes the process steps of receiving from a user the locations of reference points 480, 482 on the common iliac arteries 408, 410, and determining the curvature of centerlines 484, 486 at the points 480, 482, as shown in Figure 11. The method may further include the step of outputting the determined curvature.

[0152] It should be understood that other curvatures of the anatomy may be determined, for example, the outer and / or inner curvature of the aortic neck and / or aortic sac may be determined and output.

[0153] In one embodiment, the method further includes adding visual markers at user selected locations and / or centerlines in image 400 to assist the user in visualizing the selected reference points and / or centerlines.

[0154] In one embodiment, in addition to generating and displaying the image 400 of the 3D model, the method 300 further includes a processing step of providing a reference image 500 for displaying the image. As shown in Figure 12, the reference image 500 includes a stylized representation of the same body part as shown in the image 400, namely, at least a portion of a stylized suprarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, a stylized aneurysm, a stylized aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a first stylized common iliac artery and a second stylized common iliac artery.

[0155] The image 500 further includes a number of interactive diameter boxes 502, a number of interactive length or distance boxes 504, and a number of interactive angle boxes 506. The image 500 also includes visual markers 512, 514, and 516, each associated with a respective diameter box 502, distance box 504, or angle box 506.

[0156] Each diameter box 502 is associated with a respective reference point on the anatomical structure and a respective visual marker 512. The visual marker 512 associated with a given diameter box 502 is positioned within the image 500 at the location of the reference point associated with the given diameter box 502. Additionally, each diameter box 502 and its respective visual marker 512 are linked by a dashed link to help a user visualize the association between the diameter box 502 and the visual marker 512.

[0157] Each distance box 504 is associated with a respective distance or length between two respective reference points, and a respective visual marker 514 in the form of an arrow between the two reference points. The visual marker 514, e.g., arrow, associated with a given distance box 504 is positioned within the image 500 such that it extends along the centerline of the anatomical structure between the two reference points associated with the distance box 504. Furthermore, each distance box 504 and its respective visual marker 514 are linked by a dashed link to help a user visualize the association between the distance box 504 and the visual marker 514.

[0158] Each angle box 506 is associated with a respective angle in the anatomy and a respective visual marker 516. Each visual marker 516 is positioned within the image 500 at a respective location that allows the user to identify the angle associated with the respective angle box 506.

[0159] In one embodiment, images 500 and 400 are displayed on different displays. In another embodiment, images 500 and 400 are displayed side-by-side, for example, on the same display.

[0160] In operation, as shown in FIG. 13, a user begins by selecting a given diameter box 502 in an image 500, and an identification of the selected diameter box 502 is transmitted to a server. Next, the user selects a desired location in the image 400 of a fiducial point to be associated with the selected diameter box. The location of the selected point in the image 400 is then transmitted to the server. Upon receiving the location of the selected point, the server generates and inserts the fiducial marker 422 into the image 400, as described above. Additionally, the server calculates the diameter of the anatomical structure at the received location, as described above. The calculated diameter is then displayed in the diameter box 502 previously selected by the user in the image 500.

[0161] This operation is repeated for each diameter box 502. The distance boxes 504 and angle boxes 506 are automatically populated as the user selects different diameters 502 and their associated reference point locations in the image 400. As soon as the locations of two reference points associated with a given distance box 504 are selected by the user, the distance between these two points is calculated and displayed in the given distance box 504. Similarly, as soon as the locations of two reference points associated with a given angle box 506 are selected by the user and received by the server, the angle associated with these two points is automatically calculated and displayed in the given distance box 506.

[0162] In one embodiment, the user can view the rotated image 400 at the calculated neck angle and then rotate the image 400 to determine a more preferred angle or drag the line that projects above the neck to change the angle.

[0163] 14 shows images 400 and 500 after a user has selected the location of the reference points associated with all of the diameter boxes 502. In this case, each box 502, 504, 506 contains the value of its associated parameter.

[0164] Once values ​​for all parameters have been determined, the method 300 further includes a processing step of determining characteristics of the stent using the determined characteristics of the anatomical structure.

[0165] In one embodiment, the method 300 further includes calculating the volume of the aneurysm and / or the minimum and / or maximum diameter of the aneurysm and displaying the calculated volume of the aneurysm and / or the minimum and / or maximum diameter of the aneurysm.

[0166] As shown in FIG. 15, the stent 530 includes a neck 532, a body 534, a left leg 536, and a right leg 538, and extends between a top end 540 and a left bottom end 542 at the end of the left leg 536 and a right bottom end 544 at the end of the right leg 538. The left leg 536 and the right leg 538 of the stent 530 separate at a bifurcation point 546. The neck of the stent 530 extends between the top end 540 and a point 550. The body of the stent extends between the point 550 and the bifurcation point 546. The left leg 536 of the stent 530 extends between the bifurcation point 546 and the left bottom end 542, while the landing area of ​​the left leg 536 extends between the point 552 and the bottom end 542. The right leg 538 of the stent 530 extends between the bifurcation point 546 and the right lower end 544 , while the landing region of the right leg 538 extends between a point 554 and the lower end 544 .

[0167] The properties of the stent 530 are determined using the determined diameter, length and angles described above, as described below. The stent 530 will be inserted into the subject such that the top end 540 of the stent is aligned with the inflection point of the suprarenal segment identified by the visual marker 432, the left bottom end 542 of the stent 530 is aligned with the reference point identified by the visual marker 442, and the right bottom end 544 of the stent 530 is aligned with the reference point identified by the visual marker 446.

[0168] The suprarenal and infrarenal neck angles of the neck of the stent 530 are selected to be equal to the suprarenal and infrarenal neck angles, respectively, determined for the neck of the aneurysm.

[0169] The diameter of the stent 530 at the upper end 540 is selected based on the diameter of the aorta determined at the inflection point of the suprarenal segment identified by the visual marker 432, and the diameter of the bottom of the neck 550 of the stent 530, i.e., the diameter at point 550, is selected based on the diameter determined for the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm identified by the visual marker 422. In one embodiment, the diameter of the stent 530 at the upper end 540 is selected to be equal to the diameter of the aorta determined at the inflection point of the suprarenal segment. In another embodiment, the diameter of the stent 530 at the upper end 540 is selected to be slightly larger than the diameter of the aorta determined at the inflection point of the suprarenal segment. For example, the diameter of the stent 530 at the upper end 540 is selected to be approximately 20% larger than the diameter of the aorta determined at the inflection point of the suprarenal segment. Similarly, in one embodiment, the diameter of the base of the neck 550 of the stent 530 is selected to be equal to the diameter determined for the base of the aneurysm neck. In another embodiment, the diameter of the base of the neck 550 of the stent 530 is selected to be slightly larger than the diameter determined for the base of the aneurysm neck. For example, the diameter of the base of the neck 550 of the stent 530 is selected to be about 20% larger than the diameter determined for the base of the aneurysm neck.

[0170] In one embodiment, the diameter of neck 532 varies along its length such that neck 532 is given a flared shape.

[0171] The length of the neck 532 of the stent 530 is chosen to be equal to the determined distance between the inflection point of the suprarenal segment, identified by visual marker 432 , and the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm, identified by reference point 422 .

[0172] The diameter of the left leg 536 at the left lower end 542 is selected based on the diameter of the left common iliac artery determined at the reference point 442, and the diameter of the left leg 536 at the point 552 is selected based on the diameter of the left common iliac artery determined at the reference point 440. In one embodiment, the diameter of the left leg 536 at the left lower end 542 is selected to be equal to the diameter of the left common iliac artery determined at the reference point 442. In another embodiment, the diameter of the left leg 536 at the left lower end 542 is selected to be slightly larger than the diameter of the left common iliac artery determined at the reference point 442. For example, the diameter of the left leg 536 at the left lower end 542 is selected to be approximately 20% larger than the diameter of the left common iliac artery determined at the reference point 442. Similarly, the diameter of the left leg 536 at the point 552 may be selected to be equal to the diameter of the left common iliac artery determined at the reference point 440. In another embodiment, the diameter of the left leg 536 at point 552 is selected to be slightly larger than the diameter of the left common iliac artery determined at reference point 440. For example, the diameter of the left leg 536 at point 552 may be selected to be approximately 20% larger than the diameter of the left common iliac artery determined at reference point 440.

[0173] In one embodiment, the diameter of left leg 536 varies along its length such that left leg 536 is given a flared shape.

[0174] The length of the landing area of ​​the left leg 536 of the stent 530 is chosen to be equal to the determined distance between the reference points identified by the visual markers 440 and 442 .

[0175] The diameter of the right leg 538 at the right lower end 544 is selected based on the diameter of the right common iliac artery determined at the reference point 446, and the diameter of the right leg 538 at the point 554 is selected based on the diameter of the right common iliac artery determined at the reference point 444. In one embodiment, the diameter of the right leg 538 at the right lower end 544 is selected to be equal to the diameter of the right common iliac artery determined at the reference point 446. In another embodiment, the diameter of the right leg 538 at the right lower end 544 is selected to be slightly larger than the diameter of the right common iliac artery determined at the reference point 446. For example, the diameter of the right leg 538 at the right lower end 544 is selected to be approximately 20% larger than the diameter of the right common iliac artery determined at the reference point 446. In one embodiment, the diameter of the right leg 538 at the point 554 is selected to be equal to the diameter of the right common iliac artery determined at the reference point 444. In another embodiment, the diameter of the right leg 538 at point 554 is selected to be slightly larger than the diameter of the right common iliac artery determined at reference point 444. For example, the diameter of the right leg 538 at point 554 is selected to be approximately 20% larger than the diameter of the right common iliac artery determined at reference point 444.

[0176] In one embodiment, the diameter of the right leg 538 varies along its length such that the right leg 538 is given a flared shape.

[0177] The length of the landing area of ​​the right leg 538 of the stent 530 is chosen to be equal to the determined distance between the reference points identified by the visual markers 444 and 446 .

[0178] In one embodiment, the diameter of the body 534 of the stent 530 is selected to be equal to the determined diameter of the bottom of the neck identified by the visual marker 422 .

[0179] In one embodiment, the length of the body 534 of the stent 530, i.e., the distance between the lower end 550 of the neck 532 and the bifurcation point 546, is predefined or selected according to subject characteristics, such as the subject's height. In this case, the length of the left leg 536 is determined using the length of the body 534 and the fourth length determined above. The length of the right leg 538 of the stent 530 is determined using the length of the body 534 and the fifth length determined above.

[0180] In another embodiment, the length of body 534 of stent 530 is chosen to be at most equal to a predefined maximum length. For example, the length of body 534 may be selected to be included between the distance between the bottom of the neck identified by visual marker 422 and the bottom of the aneurysm identified by visual marker 436 and the distance between the bottom of the neck identified by visual marker 422 and the bifurcation point identified by visual marker 438, but less than the predefined maximum length.

[0181] In one embodiment, once the characteristics of the stent are determined, the method 430 further includes processing steps of generating a 3D model of the stent 530 based on the determined characteristics, generating an image of the stent 530 based on the 3D model of the stent, and merging the image of the stent with the image of the anatomy 400 to allow a user to view the stent 530 in situ. For example, the image of the stent 530 can be superimposed on the image 400 as shown in FIG. 15. In this case, the image of the stent 530 is superimposed on the image 400 such that the upper end 532 of the stent 530 is aligned with the inflection point of the suprarenal segment identified by the visual marker 432 in the image 400, the left lower end 542 of the stent 530 is aligned with a reference point on the left common iliac artery identified by the visual marker 442, and the right lower end 544 of the stent 530 is aligned with a reference point on the right common iliac artery identified by the visual marker 446.

[0182] In one embodiment, the image of the stent and image 400 are 3D images, such that the composite image is also a 3D image. In one embodiment, the user is enabled to manipulate the 3D composite image, e.g., the user can rotate, zoom, etc. the 3D composite image. The user can also move one image relative to the other, e.g., the user can move the image of the stent relative to image 400 within the composite image.

[0183] In one embodiment, different predefined stents and / or predefined stent pieces are stored in the database, each with a respective image. The stent pieces may correspond to a stent neck, a stent body, legs, an assembly including a stent body and legs, etc. If the database includes stent pieces, the stent is designed by selecting different stent pieces that, when assembled together, form a stent whose characteristics substantially correspond to the determined characteristics. For example, the database may include a first set of predefined stent necks, a second set of predefined stent bodies, a third set of left legs, and a fourth set of right legs. In this case, the stent is designed by selecting a given neck from the first set, a given body from the second set, a left leg from the third set, and a right leg from the fourth set based on the characteristics determined for the stent, such that the selected neck, body, left leg, and right leg together form a selected stent whose characteristics substantially correspond to the determined characteristics for the stent.

[0184] In an embodiment where the database includes predefined stents, each predefined stent is given a respective geometry and a respective configuration. The method 300 includes a process step of selecting, from among the predefined stents, a given stent based on the characteristics determined for the stent, e.g., selecting the predefined stent whose characteristics best correspond to the characteristics determined for the stent. The given selected predefined stent corresponds to the predefined stent whose characteristics best match the characteristics determined for the stent 530. An image corresponding to the selected predefined stent is retrieved from the database and composited with the image of the anatomy 400 before being provided for display to the user.

[0185] In embodiments where the database includes predefined stent pieces, method 300 includes a process step of selecting a given piece from among the predefined pieces that best matches the characteristics determined for stent 530. For example, a given neck is selected from among the predefined necks based on the characteristics determined for neck 532 of stent 530, i.e., the given predefined neck is selected whose characteristics best match the characteristics determined for neck 532. The body, left leg, and right leg are also selected based on the characteristics determined for stent 530. Images associated with the selected stent body are retrieved from the database and composited together to form an image of the stent, which is composited with image 400 before being displayed to the user.

[0186] In one embodiment, the selection of suitable stent segments from the database is performed using a suitable machine learning algorithm trained for this purpose, or any other suitable artificial intelligence technique.

[0187] It should be appreciated that the determined characteristics of the stent 530 may be output. For example, they may be stored in a memory.

[0188] In one embodiment, the image of the stent displayed to the user is interactive, i.e., the user can modify the image to modify the properties of the stent 530. As the user modifies the image of the stent 530, the properties of the stent 530 are automatically updated.

[0189] It should be appreciated that any suitable 3D model of the subject's anatomy may be used, including at least a portion of the suprarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, the aneurysm on the infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, the aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of the left common iliac artery and the right common iliac artery. For example, the 3D model of the anatomy may be a 3D mesh model, a RAW map, a distortion map, an anatomy map, an ILT map, a growth map, etc., obtained from medical images taken by a medical imaging device.

[0190] In one embodiment, a user can switch from one model to another, and markers present in the initial model are reproduced in exactly the same location on the second model. For example, the display image 400 may be a 3D mesh model of the aorta. The user then selects to display a RAW map of the same aorta. Markers present on the 3D mesh model and selected by the user are then reproduced in exactly the same location on the RAW map.

[0191] Medical Imaging Equipment The medical imaging device is configured, inter alia, to (i) acquire one or more images including the anatomical structure of a given subject during a cardiac cycle according to acquisition parameters, and (ii) transmit the images to a database.

[0192] The medical imaging device may include one of a computed tomography (CT) scanner, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, ultrasound, and the like.

[0193] In some embodiments of the present technology, the medical imaging device may include multiple medical imaging devices, such as one or more of a computed tomography (CT) scanner, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, ultrasound, etc.

[0194] The medical imaging device can be configured with specific acquisition parameters for acquiring images of the patient, including the patient's aorta.

[0195] As a non-limiting example, in one or more embodiments in which the medical imaging device is implemented as a CT scanner, a CT protocol can be used that includes preoperative retrospective gated multi-detector CT (MDCT—64 row multislice CT scanner) with variable dose radiation to capture RR intervals.

[0196] As another non-limiting example, in one or more embodiments in which the medical imaging procedure includes an MRI scanner, the MR protocol can include a steady-state T2-weighted fast field echo (TE=2.6 ms, TR=5.2 ms, flip angle 110 degrees, fat suppression (SPIR), echo time 50 ms, up to 25 cardiac phases, matrix 256×256, acquisition voxel MPS (measurement, phase and slice encoding directions) 1.56 / 1.56 / 3.00 mm and reconstruction voxel MPS 0.78 / 0.78 / 1.5), or a similar cine acquisition, axial slices of the portion of the aorta under study.

[0197] In one or more embodiments, the medical imaging device is part of a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) for storing and retrieving medical images along with other electronic devices, such as workstation computers and server 230 .

[0198] Mesh Acquisition Procedure The mesh acquisition procedure is configured to acquire a 3D mesh of the patient's aorta generated based on a multi-slice image stack acquired by a medical imaging device.

[0199] In one or more embodiments, the mesh acquisition procedure generates a 3D mesh of the patient's anatomy.

[0200] In one or more other embodiments, the 3D mesh of the anatomical structure may have been generated by another electronic device, and the mesh acquisition procedure may obtain the 3D mesh from the electronic device (not shown).

[0201] In one or more embodiments, the mesh acquisition procedure uses a 3D mesh generated as an intermediate step during the generation procedure. For example, the generation procedure may be used to generate one or more of a strain map (including a strain inhomogeneity map and a strain / relative deformation map), a regional aortic weakness (RAW) map, an intraluminal thrombus (ILT) map, and a calcification distribution map based on the multi-phase image stack.

[0202] Map Generation Procedure The generating procedure receives a multi-phase image stack for a given patient, the multi-phase image stack including images of the patient's anatomy acquired during a cardiac cycle, the patient suffering from an aortic aneurysm.

[0203] In one or more embodiments, the multi-phase image stack is received from the medical imaging device 210 and / or the workstation computer 215 .

[0204] Distortion Map The generation procedure generates a distortion map based on the multi-phase stack 410 .

[0205] In one or more embodiments, to generate a pre-operative distortion map based on a medical image, the generation procedure uses the methods and systems disclosed in PCT Patent Application No. PCT / IB2020 / 059018, filed September 25, 2020 by the same applicant, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0206] Distortion / Relative Deformation Map In one or more embodiments, the generation procedure generates a distortion and relative deformation map based on the distortion map.

[0207] The strain and relative deformation maps contain measures of the local deformation of the aortic wall during the cardiac cycle. The strain relative deformation map is used to assess strain within the aorta relative to "healthier" regions to indicate areas of relative strength or weakness to aid in determining optimal stent placement.

[0208] Distortion Inhomogeneity Map In one or more embodiments, the generating procedure generates a distortion non-uniformity map based on the distortion map.

[0209] The strain non-uniformity map indicates the level of non-uniformity in strain distribution within the aorta and indicates areas where strain varies compared to other areas, which may be determined based on different strain ranges.

[0210] The strain non-uniformity map is used to assess the level of non-uniformity in the strain distribution (i.e., highly non-uniform areas may affect stent sealing and deployment).

[0211] Regional aortic weakness (RAW) map The generation procedure generates a RAW map based on a multi-phase image stack.

[0212] In one or more embodiments, to generate a pre-operative RAW map based on a medical image, the generation procedure uses the methods and systems disclosed in PCT Patent Application No. PCT / IB2020 / 059018, filed September 25, 2020 by the same applicant, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0213] In one or more alternative embodiments, the pre-operative RAW map may be optional. Calcification distribution map and intraluminal thrombus thickness map The generation procedure accesses the configured segmentation ML model, which is used to detect calcifications in the aorta, iliac arteries, lumen, and remaining tissues, including wall and intraluminal thrombus (ILT), in each patient's medical images. The selection of fiducial points can be optimized to avoid calcifications.

[0214] In one or more embodiments, to detect the aorta, iliac arteries, lumen, and remaining tissues including wall and intraluminal thrombus (ILT) within the medical image, the generation procedure uses methods and systems disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 152,105, filed February 22, 2021 by the same applicant, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0215] The generation procedure uses a set of segmentation ML models 280 based on the multi-phase stack to generate intraluminal thrombus thickness (ILT) maps and calcification distribution maps.

[0216] In one or more alternative embodiments, the aortic wall vulnerability value in the seal zone can be obtained without the use of a pre-operative raw map. By way of non-limiting example, in embodiments in which a pre-operative raw map is not used, the aortic wall vulnerability value in the seal zone may be received from another electronic device.

[0217] In one or more other embodiments, the 3D mesh and one or more of the regional aortic weakness (RAW) map, the strain heterogeneity map, the strain / relative deformation map, the intraluminal thrombus thickness (ILT) map and the calcification distribution map may be generated by one or more other electronic devices performing the generation procedure and then received by the mesh acquisition procedure.

[0218] In one or more alternative embodiments, the mesh acquisition procedure outputs a 3D mesh and one or more of a regional aortic weakness (RAW) map, a strain heterogeneity map, a strain / relative deformation map, an intraluminal thrombus (ILT) map, and a calcification distribution map.

[0219] It should be understood that the methods and systems described above may be used to design other types of stents, for example, they may be used to design a stent for a thoracic aortic aneurysm as shown in FIG.

[0220] In this case, the method comprises: providing a first image of a 3D model of at least a portion of the thoracic aorta for display; receiving a location of each of a plurality of selected reference points along the thoracic aorta; inserting a visual marker at the location of each reference point in the first image, whereby a second image is acquired; providing a second image for display; calculating a respective diameter for each reference point; calculating at least one length using the positions of the reference points; Optionally, calculating the curvature of the thoracic aorta; and outputting the calculated diameter, the calculated length, and optionally the curvature.

[0221] The method further includes generating an image of the stent using the calculated parameters and combining the image of the stent with the image of the thoracic aorta before display.

[0222] It should be clearly understood that not all technical advantages mentioned herein need to be enjoyed in every embodiment of the present technology. For example, embodiments of the present technology may be implemented without the user enjoying some of these technical advantages, while other non-limiting embodiments may be implemented without the user enjoying other technical advantages or without the user enjoying any technical advantages at all.

[0223] Modifications and improvements to the above-described embodiments of the technology may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be illustrative, not limiting.

Claims

1. 1. A computer-implemented method for designing a stent, comprising: providing a first image of a 3D model of a body part of a subject for display, the body part including at least an infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, an aneurysm above the infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, an aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a left common iliac artery and a right common iliac artery; receiving a location of each of a plurality of reference points, the reference points including at least an inflection point of the suprarenal segment, a bottom of the neck of the aneurysm, a bottom of the aneurysm, a first point and a second point on the left common iliac artery, and a first point and a second point on the right common iliac artery; inserting visual markers at the locations of each of the fiducials in the first image, thereby acquiring a second image; providing the second image for display; calculating a respective diameter for each reference point; calculating a first length of the neck using the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment and the location of the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm, calculating a second length of a left landing area using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the left common iliac artery, calculating a third length of a right landing area using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the right common iliac artery, calculating a fourth length of a left leg of the stent and a fifth length of a right leg of the stent using the locations of some of the reference points; calculating a suprarenal neck angle using the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment and the location of the base of the neck of the aneurysm, and calculating an infrarenal neck angle using the location of the base of the neck of the aneurysm and the location of the base of the aneurysm; outputting the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle; A computer-implemented method comprising:

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the visual marker is orthogonal to a centerline.

3. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the fourth length is determined using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of one of the first point and the second point on the left common iliac artery, and the fifth length is determined using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of one of the first point and the second point on the right common iliac artery.

4. generating an image of the stent using the respective diameters of each fiducial point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, the infrarenal neck angle, and a given predetermined length of a body of the stent; combining the image of the stent on the image with the first image, thereby obtaining a further image; providing said further image for display; and The computer implemented method of claim 3 further comprising:

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising receiving a location of a bifurcation between the left common iliac artery and the right common iliac artery.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , further comprising calculating and outputting a diameter of the infrarenal segment at the bifurcation point.

7. 7. The computer implemented method of claim 5 or 6, further comprising determining a sixth length using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of the bifurcation point, wherein calculating the fourth length is performed using the location of the bifurcation point and the location of one of the first point and the second point on the left common iliac artery, and calculating the fifth length is performed using the location of the bifurcation point and the location of one of the first point and the second point on the right common iliac artery.

8. generating an image of the stent using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, the fifth length, and the sixth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle; combining the image of the stent on the image with the first image, thereby obtaining a further image; providing said further image for display; and The computer implemented method of claim 3 further comprising:

9. 9. The computer implemented method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the outputting includes providing for display the respective diameter of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle.

10. receiving a new position of the visual marker; moving the visual marker to the new location in the second image, thereby obtaining an updated image; providing the updated image for display; and calculating a further diameter at said new location; The computer implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the visual marker in the new position is perpendicular to the centerline.

12. 12. The computer implemented method of claim 10 or 11, further comprising providing the further diameter for display.

13. generating a reference image of the body portion including at least a portion of a stylized infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, a stylized aneurysm, a stylized aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a first stylized common iliac artery and a second stylized common iliac artery; inserting a visual indicator of each of the plurality of reference points within the reference image; providing said reference image for display; The computer implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising:

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein the reference image further comprises a plurality of interactive boxes each associated with a respective reference point.

15. 15. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein the inserting of the visual marker into the first image is performed only after receiving an indication that a given one of the interactive boxes has been selected.

16. 16. The computer implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the 3D model comprises one of a regional aortic weakness (RAW) map, a distortion map, an anatomy map, an intraluminal thrombus (ILT) map, and a growth map.

17. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the respective diameters include one of a maximum diameter, a minimum diameter, and a given circular equivalent diameter.

18. receiving a respective iliac point for each of the first common iliac artery and the second common iliac artery; calculating a respective curvature angle at each of said iliac points; The computer implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising:

19. 20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising providing the respective curvature angles for display.

20. The computer implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 19, further comprising receiving an identification of the 3D model and retrieving the 3D model from a database.

21. The computer implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the body part further comprises at least a portion of a suprarenal segment of the thoracic aorta.

22. Calculating a maximum diameter of the aneurysm; providing the maximum diameter of the aneurysm for indication; and The computer implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 21, further comprising:

23. said generating said image of said stent includes accessing a database including predefined stent segments; selecting, using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, the infrarenal neck angle, and the given predetermined length of the body of the stent, suitable stent pieces from among the predefined stent pieces, which together form the stent; generating the image of the stent using the image of the suitable stent segment; 5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, comprising:

24. The generating the image of the stent comprises: accessing a database containing predefined stent segments; selecting appropriate stent pieces from among the predefined stent pieces using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, the fifth length, and the sixth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle, wherein the appropriate stent pieces together form the stent; generating the image of the stent using the image of the suitable stent segment; 9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, comprising:

25. 1. A computer-implemented method for designing a stent, comprising: providing for display a first image of a 3D model of at least a portion of a body part including an aneurysm; receiving a location of each of a plurality of selected reference points along the body part; inserting visual markers at the locations of each of the fiducials in the first image, thereby acquiring a second image; providing the second image for display; calculating a respective diameter for each reference point; calculating at least one length using the positions of the reference points; outputting said respective diameters and at least one length; A computer-implemented method comprising:

26. 1. A system for designing a stent, comprising: A processor; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon; Equipped with The processor, upon execution of the instructions, providing a first image of a 3D model of a body part of a subject for display, the body part including at least an infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, an aneurysm above the infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, an aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a left common iliac artery and a right common iliac artery; receiving a location of each of a plurality of reference points, the reference points including at least an inflection point of the suprarenal segment, a bottom of the neck of the aneurysm, a bottom of the aneurysm, a first point and a second point on the left common iliac artery, and a first point and a second point on the right common iliac artery; inserting visual markers at the locations of each of the fiducials in the first image, thereby acquiring a second image; providing the second image for display; calculating a respective diameter for each reference point; calculating a first length of the neck using the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment and the location of the bottom of the neck of the aneurysm, calculating a second length of a left landing area using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the left common iliac artery, calculating a third length of a right landing area using the location of the first point and the location of the second point on the right common iliac artery, calculating a fourth length of a left leg of the stent and a fifth length of a right leg of the stent using the locations of some of the reference points; calculating a suprarenal neck angle using the location of the inflection point of the suprarenal segment and the location of the base of the neck of the aneurysm, and calculating an infrarenal neck angle using the location of the base of the neck of the aneurysm and the location of the base of the aneurysm; outputting the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle; A system configured to:

27. The system of claim 26 , wherein the visual marker is orthogonal to a centerline.

28. 28. The system of claim 26 or 27, wherein the fourth length is determined using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of one of the first point and the second point on the left common iliac artery, and the fifth length is determined using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of one of the first point and the second point on the right common iliac artery.

29. generating an image of the stent using the respective diameters of each fiducial point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, the infrarenal neck angle, and a given predetermined length of a body of the stent; combining the image of the stent on the image with the first image, thereby obtaining a further image; providing said further image for display; and 30. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

30. 28. The system of claim 26 or 27, further comprising receiving a location of a bifurcation between the left common iliac artery and the right common iliac artery.

31. 31. The system of claim 30, further comprising calculating and outputting a diameter of the infrarenal segment at the bifurcation.

32. 32. The system of claim 30 or 31, further comprising determining a sixth length using the location of one of the inflection point and the bottom of the neck and the location of the bifurcation point, wherein calculating the fourth length is performed using the location of the bifurcation point and the location of one of the first point and the second point on the left common iliac artery, and calculating the fifth length is performed using the location of the bifurcation point and the location of one of the first point and the second point on the right common iliac artery.

33. generating an image of the stent using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, the fifth length, and the sixth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle; combining the image of the stent on the image with the first image, thereby obtaining a further image; providing said further image for display; and 30. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

34. 34. The system of any one of claims 26-33, wherein the outputting includes providing for display the respective diameter of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle.

35. receiving a new position of the visual marker; moving the visual marker to the new location in the second image, thereby obtaining an updated image; providing the updated image for display; and calculating a further diameter at said new location; The system of any one of claims 26 to 34, further comprising:

36. 36. The system of claim 35, wherein the visual marker in the new position is perpendicular to the centerline.

37. 37. The system of claim 35 or 36, further comprising providing the further diameter for display.

38. generating a reference image of the body portion including at least a portion of a stylized infrarenal segment of the thoracic aorta, a stylized aneurysm, a stylized aortic bifurcation, and at least a portion of a first stylized common iliac artery and a second stylized common iliac artery; inserting a visual indicator of each of the plurality of reference points within the reference image; providing said reference image for display; The system of any one of claims 26 to 37, further comprising:

39. 40. The system of claim 38, wherein the reference image further comprises a plurality of interactive boxes each associated with a respective reference point.

40. 40. The system of claim 39, wherein the inserting of the visual marker into the first image is performed only after receiving an indication that a given of the interactive box has been selected.

41. 41. The system of any one of claims 26 to 40, wherein the 3D model includes one of a regional aortic weakness (RAW) map, a distortion map, an anatomy map, an intraluminal thrombus (ILT) map, and a growth map.

42. The system of any one of claims 26 to 41, wherein the respective diameters include one of a maximum diameter, a minimum diameter, and a given circular equivalent diameter.

43. receiving a respective iliac point for each of the first common iliac artery and the second common iliac artery; calculating a respective curvature angle at each of said iliac points; The system of any one of claims 26 to 42, further comprising:

44. 44. The system of claim 43, further comprising providing the respective curvature angles for display.

45. The system of any one of claims 26 to 44, further comprising receiving an identification of the 3D model and retrieving the 3D model from a database.

46. The system of any one of claims 26 to 45, wherein the body portion further comprises at least a portion of a suprarenal segment of the thoracic aorta.

47. Calculating a maximum diameter of the aneurysm; providing the maximum diameter of the aneurysm for indication; and The system of any one of claims 26 to 46, further comprising:

48. The generating the image of the stent comprises: accessing a database containing predefined stent segments; selecting, using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, and the fifth length, the suprarenal neck angle, the infrarenal neck angle, and the given predetermined length of the body of the stent, suitable stent pieces from among the predefined stent pieces, which together form the stent; generating the image of the stent using the image of the suitable stent segment; 30. The system of claim 29, comprising:

49. The generating the image of the stent comprises: accessing a database containing predefined stent segments; selecting appropriate stent pieces from among the predefined stent pieces using the respective diameters of each reference point, the first length, the second length, the third length, the fourth length, the fifth length, and the sixth length, the suprarenal neck angle, and the infrarenal neck angle, wherein the appropriate stent pieces together form the stent; generating the image of the stent using the image of the suitable stent segment; 34. The system of claim 33, comprising:

50. 1. A system for designing a stent, comprising: A processor; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon; Equipped with The processor, upon execution of the instructions, providing for display a first image of a 3D model of at least a portion of a body part including an aneurysm; receiving a location of each of a plurality of selected reference points along the body part; inserting visual markers at the locations of each of the fiducials in the first image, thereby acquiring a second image; providing the second image for display; calculating a respective diameter for each reference point; calculating at least one length using the positions of the reference points; outputting said respective diameters and at least one length; A system configured to:

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