Heart Imaging via Lung Tracer Particle Velocimetry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current imaging technologies face challenges in visualizing the heart and coronary arteries due to the heart's constant motion, limiting the ability to detect cardiovascular problems early and accurately measure 3D blood flow fields, especially in opaque tissues.
Innovation Solution
The method involves recording in vivo images of the lungs and applying them to a multidimensional heart model to reconstruct a multidimensional image field, allowing for indirect measurement of heart motion by analyzing lung motion, which includes using X-ray particle image velocimetry (PIV) and computer tomographic X-ray particle image velocimetry (CTXV) to derive velocity data and reconstruct 2D, 3D, or 4D images of the heart and lungs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional direct heart imaging methods are used, then the heart structure can be visualized, but the constant motion of the heart makes it difficult to obtain sufficient visualization quality and measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses lung tissue as an intermediary medium to indirectly measure heart motion. By placing tracer particles in the lung tissue and imaging their displacement, the system captures heart-induced lung motion without directly imaging the moving heart structures, thereby resolving the contradiction between visualization and measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical/optical imaging of the heart with X-ray particle image velocimetry (PIV) of lung tissue. This substitution uses particle displacement fields in the lung to infer heart motion, achieving higher measurement precision while maintaining reliability despite heart motion.
2Manufacturing precision
If high resolution direct heart imaging is attempted, then more detail can be captured, but the constant motion causes blurring and reduces diagnostic value
Solution Approach 1:
The lung tissue serves as a stable intermediary that moves with the heart but provides a clearer measurement medium. Tracer particles embedded in the lung tissue allow high-resolution imaging of displacement patterns without the blurring artifacts that plague direct heart imaging, as the lung tissue provides a more stable reference frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses tracer particles with distinct X-ray contrast properties that allow them to be visualized clearly against the lung tissue background. These particles act as markers that maintain visibility and contrast throughout the imaging process, enabling precise measurement of displacement without motion-induced blurring.
3Measurement precision
If conventional imaging methods are used to study blood flow fields, then some flow information can be obtained, but non-invasive measurement through optically opaque tissue at high resolution is required for useful information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent places tracer particles within the lung tissue as an intermediary medium that allows indirect measurement of blood flow effects. The particles serve as proxies that can be imaged through opaque tissue using X-rays, enabling high-resolution non-invasive measurement of flow-related motion without being blocked by tissue opacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the imaging modality from optical to X-ray based measurement. This parameter change allows penetration through optically opaque tissue while maintaining high resolution measurement capability. The X-ray particle image velocimetry technique measures displacement fields through the opaque lung and heart tissues, achieving blood flow field measurement accuracy that would be impossible with optical methods.
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
This approach provides more accurate and detailed multidimensional reconstructions of the heart and lungs, enabling better detection of cardiovascular issues and reducing X-ray exposure while capturing more data than traditional methods, facilitating early detection and improved understanding of heart function and lung interactions.
Implementation Method 1
recording a first set of in vivo projection images of a lung of the subject and a second set of in vivo projection images of the subject heart
Implementation Method 2
applying the first set of in vivo projection images to a multidimensional heart model and reconstructing a multidimensional image field of the subject heart
Implementation Method 3
using X-ray particle image velocimetry (PIV) and computer tomographic X-ray particle image velocimetry (CTXV) to derive velocity data
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to imaging of a human or animal heart, particularly imaging of movement of the heart and can be used for imaging function and form in a wide range of research, medical, veterinary and industrial applications. In particular, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for imaging a subject heart, the method including the steps of (1) recording at least one in vivo image of a lung of the subject in one or more regions; (2) applying said at least one in vivo image to a 2D or 3D heart model; and (3) reconstructing a 2D or 3D image field of the subject heart.