Echocardiogram Bubble Analysis for Cardiac Shunt Scoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current diagnostic methods for cardiac shunts, such as patent foramen ovale (PFO) and atrial septal defect (ASD), are limited by procedural constraints and lack scientific consensus on when interventions are beneficial, leading to difficulty in identifying patients who would benefit from treatment.
Innovation Solution
An echocardiogram procedure involving intravenous bubble injection and image analysis to generate echocardiogram images, identify heart structures, and calculate a score based on bubble presence and opacification to determine shunt severity, guiding treatment decisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) with manual bubble injection is used to evaluate PFOs, then diagnostic information is provided, but acquisition difficulties and procedural constraints prevent ready implementation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automated image analysis and bubble detection without requiring manual interpretation by operators. The automated processing identifies shunt presence and characteristics, reducing dependency on operator expertise and making the procedure more readily implementable while maintaining diagnostic accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
Manual bubble injection and image interpretation are replaced with an automated system that uses image processing algorithms to detect and analyze bubbles. This substitution eliminates procedural constraints associated with manual techniques and enables ready implementation across different clinical settings
2Measurement precision
If automated image analysis is implemented to characterize shunts, then diagnostic accuracy and treatment guidance improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated analysis system serves multiple functions: detecting bubble presence, characterizing shunt size, determining shunt direction, and guiding treatment decisions. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate diagnostic steps into a single integrated system, making the increased complexity worthwhile by providing comprehensive diagnostic information
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms complex imaging data into simplified quantitative parameters such as shunt score and bubble count metrics. By converting detailed image information into standardized parameters, the system manages complexity while maintaining high diagnostic accuracy for treatment guidance
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
Enables accurate characterization of cardiac shunts, facilitating informed treatment decisions by quantifying shunt severity and reducing the risk of unnecessary procedures.
Implementation Method 1
performing an echocardiogram procedure on a patient to generate a plurality of echocardiogram images
Implementation Method 2
Transesophageal or transthoracic echocardiography (TEE or TTE) imaging with agitated saline bubbles as a contrast is the gold standard test for evaluating the presence of PFOs
Data Source
AI summary
A method may include performing an echocardiogram procedure on a patient to generate a plurality of echocardiogram images; during the echocardiogram procedure, intravenously directing bubbles into a patient's venous circulatory system and to a right side of the patient's heart; identifying structures of the patient's heart and further identifying composite boundaries for the structures; after detecting presence of the bubbles on the right side of the patient's heart, comparing opacification of the right atrium to a threshold level of opacification to confirm sufficient opacification of the patient's right atrium; analyzing additional echocardiogram images relative to the composite boundaries to detect presence of the bubbles on a left side of the patient's heart; based on analyzing the additional echocardiogram images, calculating a score based on a nature of detected bubbles on the left side of the patient's heart; and based on the score initiating treatment in the patient.