Intravascular Artery Imaging Workflow for Stent Sizing and Calcium Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging modalities struggle to provide balanced and efficient visualization of stent deployment relative to the vessel wall, with challenges in diagnosing and effectively solving the technical problem of stent overexpansion or underexpansion during cardiovascular procedures, leading to potential vessel damage or thrombosis, and lack effective workflows for stent planning and deployment.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for displaying arterial representations using intravascular imaging data, including EEL-based metrics, calcium detection, and stent planning indicia, utilizing machine learning and graphical user interfaces to guide stent deployment and assess stenosis, with features like lumen boundary detection, stent expansion metrics, and malapposition visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If fluoroscopy is used for angiographic imaging, then real-time visualization of blood vessels is achieved, but image resolution and detail of vessel wall structures are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines fluoroscopy imaging with intravascular OCT imaging into a single integrated system. The fluoroscopy provides real-time angiographic visualization while the OCT catheter provides high-resolution cross-sectional images of the vessel wall. The system merges these two imaging modalities by co-registering their coordinate systems and displaying them in a unified interface, allowing clinicians to benefit from both real-time visualization and high-resolution structural detail without requiring separate imaging systems.
2Measurement precision
If intravascular OCT imaging is used to obtain high-resolution vessel data, then detailed vessel wall visualization is achieved, but real-time feedback during stent deployment is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary OCT imaging of the vessel segment before stent deployment to establish baseline measurements of vessel diameter, wall thickness, and pathology. These pre-deployment measurements are stored and automatically compared with post-deployment images. The co-registration system pre-aligns the coordinate systems of OCT and fluoroscopy, enabling rapid comparison and automatic generation of expansion metrics without requiring manual measurement or complex post-processing during the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where OCT images are acquired before and after stent deployment, and the system automatically calculates expansion metrics by comparing the two sets of images. The co-registered display shows the stent position relative to the vessel wall and provides quantitative feedback on expansion uniformity, apposition quality, and detection of complications such as dissection or malapposition. This closed-loop feedback enables real-time assessment of stent deployment quality.
3Loss of information
If multiple imaging modalities are used simultaneously, then comprehensive diagnostic information is obtained, but information overload and workflow complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the display into functionally distinct panels, each presenting specific types of information. One panel displays the fluoroscopy angiogram showing the overall vessel anatomy and stent position. Another panel displays the OCT cross-sectional images with automated annotations of vessel wall layers and pathology. A third panel provides quantitative metrics including expansion percentage, apposition quality scores, and detection of complications. This segmentation allows clinicians to access comprehensive diagnostic information while focusing on one type of data at a time, reducing cognitive load and improving workflow efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances stent deployment precision by providing real-time, efficient visualization of arterial features and stent positioning, reducing operator fatigue and expediting decision-making in catheterization procedures.
Implementation Method 1
Intravascular optical coherence tomography is a catheter-based imaging modality that uses light to peer into coronary artery walls and generate images thereof for study. Utilizing coherent light, interferometry, and micro-optics, OCT can provide video-rate in-vivo tomography within a diseased vessel with micrometer level resolution.
Data Source
AI summary
In part, the disclosure relates to method of displaying a representation of an artery. The method may include storing an intravascular image dataset in a memory device of a diagnostic imaging system, the intravascular image dataset generated in response to intravascular imaging of a segment of an artery; automatically detecting lumen boundary of the segment on a per frame basis; automatically detecting EEL and displaying a stent sizing workflow. In part, the disclosure also relates to automatically detecting one or more regions of calcium relative to lumen boundary of the segment; calculating an angular or circumferential measurement of detected calcium for one or more frames; calculating a calcium thickness of detected calcium for one or more frames; and displaying the calcium thickness and the angular or circumferential measurement of detected calcium for a first frame of the one or more frames.