Coronary CT Plaque Quantification for Personalized CAD Decisions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for cardiovascular disease, such as stents and bypass surgeries, may not be effective for all patients, particularly those with stable heart disease, and there is a need for more accurate assessment of arterial vessel health to determine the best treatment approach.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing non-invasive medical imaging technologies, including CT scans, and machine learning algorithms to analyze coronary arteries and plaque, with a normalization device to improve image calibration, enabling accurate risk assessment and personalized treatment plans.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If invasive surgical procedures such as angioplasty and stent placement are performed to treat cardiovascular disease, then arterial blockages can be mechanically opened and blood flow improved, but patients may undergo unnecessary invasive procedures with associated risks and complications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical diagnostic methods (physical examination, basic imaging) with advanced imaging technologies (CT angiography, intravascular imaging) and computational analysis systems. This substitution enables non-invasive or minimally invasive assessment of arterial health, allowing clinicians to accurately identify patients who truly need invasive procedures versus those who can be managed with medical therapy alone, thereby avoiding unnecessary surgical risks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary assessment layer between disease identification and treatment decision-making. This intermediary consists of quantitative imaging analysis, plaque characterization, and risk stratification systems that provide detailed information about arterial health status, enabling more informed decisions about whether invasive procedures are truly necessary or if less invasive alternatives suffice
2Ease of operation
If macro-level biochemical analysis is used to assess cardiovascular health, then treatment decisions can be made based on blood markers, but the specificity and accuracy of arterial vessel health assessment is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional biochemical assessment (blood markers) to multi-dimensional imaging assessment. CT angiography provides spatial dimension (visualizing arterial anatomy and blockage location), while intravascular imaging adds another dimension (plaque composition, vessel wall characteristics). This dimensional expansion enables precise characterization of arterial health that cannot be achieved with blood tests alone
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of assessment from general biochemical markers to specific imaging-derived parameters including plaque volume, plaque composition (calcified vs. soft), stenosis degree, and vessel morphology. These changed parameters provide much more specific and accurate information about arterial health status, enabling better treatment decisions
3Productivity
If uniform treatment protocols are applied to all patients with cardiovascular disease, then treatment delivery is simplified, but individualized treatment optimization is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring treatment to the specific characteristics of each patient's arterial disease. Instead of uniform treatment, the system characterizes the local properties of plaque (calcified vs. soft, location, extent) and vessel anatomy, then recommends treatment strategies specifically suited to those local characteristics. For example, certain plaque types may respond better to medical therapy while others may require intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by conducting detailed imaging and risk stratification assessments before treatment decisions are made. This preliminary characterization of arterial health, plaque burden, and disease severity allows clinicians to pre-identify which patients will benefit most from invasive procedures versus medical therapy, enabling personalized treatment planning before any intervention occurs
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure herein relates to systems, methods, and devices for medical image analysis, diagnosis, risk stratification, decision making and/or disease tracking. In some embodiments, the systems, devices, and methods described herein are configured to analyze non-invasive medical images of a subject to automatically and/or dynamically identify one or more features, such as plaque and vessels, and/or derive one or more quantified plaque parameters, such as radiodensity, radiodensity composition, volume, radiodensity heterogeneity, geometry, location, perform computational fluid dynamics analysis, facilitate assessment of risk of heart disease and coronary artery disease, enhance drug development, determine a CAD risk factor goal, provide atherosclerosis and vascular morphology characterization, and determine indication of myocardial risk, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the systems, devices, and methods described herein are further configured to generate one or more assessments of plaque-based diseases from raw medical images using one or more of the identified features and/or quantified parameters.