Angiography Cardiac Motion Evaluation for Intravascular Co-Registration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for co-registering angiography and intravascular imaging modalities face challenges in accurately evaluating cardiac motion, which affects the detection of radiopaque markers and the precision of co-registration between imaging modalities.

Innovation Solution

The approach involves evaluating cardiac motion using angiography image data to improve the detection of radiopaque markers by searching for dark points in angiography frames, selecting targeted markers, and generating a co-registration path based on cardiac motion, thereby enhancing the alignment between angiography and intravascular imaging.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If co-registration is performed between angiography and intravascular imaging modalities, then alignment between imaging modalities is improved, but detection accuracy of radiopaque markers deteriorates due to cardiac motion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveco-registration alignmentVSAvoidradiopaque marker detection
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by evaluating cardiac motion and determining cardiac phase information before performing marker detection and co-registration. The system pre-processes angiography image data to assess cardiac motion characteristics and uses this information to guide subsequent detection processes, thereby compensating for motion effects in advance rather than attempting to correct them after detection fails.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamics by adapting the detection strategy based on real-time cardiac motion evaluation. The system dynamically adjusts detection parameters and strategies according to the evaluated cardiac phase and motion characteristics, making the detection process responsive to changing cardiac conditions rather than using a static approach.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Measurement precision

If cardiac motion evaluation is performed to improve marker detection, then detection accuracy is improved, but processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveradiopaque marker detectionVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses an intermediary approach by introducing a separate cardiac motion evaluation module that processes angiography image data independently. This intermediary evaluation provides motion characteristics that guide the subsequent marker detection process, separating the complex tasks of motion analysis and marker detection into distinct stages that can be optimized independently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies copying by using angiography image data as a surrogate or copy to evaluate cardiac motion, rather than directly processing more complex intravascular imaging data. The motion characteristics derived from the angiography copy are then applied to improve detection in the primary imaging modality, reducing overall processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Manufacturing precision

If cardiac phase information is used to guide detection, then co-registration accuracy is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveco-registration accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary evaluation of cardiac phase information from angiography data before the main detection process. By pre-determining cardiac phase and motion characteristics, the system avoids iterative adjustments during marker detection, reducing overall processing time while maintaining high co-registration accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by focusing computational resources on specific regions and phases of cardiac motion that are most critical for marker detection. Rather than uniformly processing all cardiac phases with equal detail, the system concentrates processing effort on the most informative local regions and phases, improving efficiency without sacrificing accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3659114B1Evaluating cardiac motion using an angiography image
Publication Date: 2024.03.06 CANON USA INC
  • EP3659114B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3659114B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3659114B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Detecting a vessel region in multiple angiographic image frames and defining a direction that perpendicularly intersects a longitudinal direction of the vessel region to improve co-registration between two imaging modalities. Motion of the vessel region is then detected based on the direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the vessel region by evaluating positions of the vessel region in the multiple angiographic image frames. The method includes defining an area based on the detected motion and the detected vessel region, detecting a marker of an imaging catheter disposed in the vessel region within the area and performing co-registration based on the detected marker.