Cardiac Strain Trace Correction Using Imaging-Based Mechanical Events
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deformation imaging systems inaccurately delineate cardiac cycles due to disassociation between surrogate ECG events and actual mitral valve closure in subjects with conduction delays, leading to inaccurate deformation imaging measurements.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that detects mechanical events directly from imaging data to delineate cardiac cycles, using techniques such as template matching, image registration, or AI, to improve the accuracy of cardiac deformation assessments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If ECG surrogate events are used to delineate cardiac cycles, then the process is simple and fast, but the accuracy of deformation imaging measurements deteriorates in subjects with conduction delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary correction mechanism that detects the actual mitral valve closure timing from the imaging data itself and uses this information to correct the timing of mechanical events. This intermediary correction layer reconciles the simple ECG-based delineation with the accurate imaging-based timing, resolving the contradiction between speed and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the correspondence between ECG surrogate events and actual mechanical events detected from imaging data. When discrepancies are detected (particularly in subjects with conduction delays), the system adjusts the delineation of cardiac cycles to account for these differences, ensuring accurate strain measurements while maintaining operational efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If actual mechanical events are detected from imaging data to delineate cardiac cycles, then the accuracy of deformation imaging measurements is improved, but the complexity and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining the characteristic patterns of mechanical events (such as mitral valve closure, aortic valve opening/closing) and their expected locations in the cardiac cycle. This allows the system to quickly identify and detect these events in the imaging data without requiring complex real-time analysis, thus improving accuracy while limiting complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses template matching techniques where standardized patterns of mechanical events are created as templates. These templates are then copied and matched against the actual imaging data to detect event timing. This approach simplifies the detection process by reducing it to pattern recognition rather than complex analysis.
3Ease of operation
If QRS complex timing is used as surrogate for mitral valve closure, then the method is easy to implement, but the correspondence with actual cardiac events deteriorates in subjects with bundle branch blocks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the selection of surrogate events adaptive rather than fixed. The system dynamically determines which ECG surrogate events to use based on the subject's conduction characteristics. For subjects with normal conduction, standard surrogates are used, but for those with bundle branch blocks or other conduction abnormalities, the system adjusts the surrogate selection to maintain reliability while keeping implementation simple.
Data Source
AI summary
Various systems and methods are provided for determining information related to cardiac deformation of a region of interest of a heart of a subject using deformation imaging based on a delineation of the cardiac cycle of the heart of the subject determined from imaging data. The imaging data of the region of interest of the heart of the subject may be received. A set of mechanical events of the heart of the subject may be detected based on analyzing the imaging data. The delineation of the cardiac cycle may be determined based on the set of mechanical events of the heart of the subject. The information related to cardiac deformation of the region of interest of the heart of the subject may be determined using deformation imaging based on the delineation of the cardiac cycle. The information related to cardiac deformation of the region of interest may be displayed.