Intravascular Imaging for Stenosis Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing the need for stent treatment in arterial and venous diseases are inconsistent and difficult to accurately determine, often leading to unnecessary procedures or under-treatment.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses intravascular imaging to measure the cross-sectional area and flow resistance of a vessel, providing a treatment recommendation based on these metrics to determine the necessity of stent placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If stent treatment decisions are based on vessel diameter and lesion length alone, then treatment planning is simplified, but assessment accuracy is reduced leading to inconsistent treatment recommendations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the assessment parameters from simple geometric measurements (vessel diameter and lesion length) to include functional hemodynamic parameters (flow resistance, pressure gradients). This allows more accurate assessment of stenosis severity while maintaining automated calculation to preserve ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the vessel into multiple sections along its length, calculating cross-sectional area and flow resistance for each segment. This detailed segmentation enables precise identification of stenotic regions and their hemodynamic impact, improving assessment accuracy without overwhelming the clinician.
2Measurement precision
If intravascular imaging is used to measure cross-sectional area and flow resistance, then treatment recommendation accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a single intravascular imaging system: cross-sectional area measurement, flow resistance calculation, stenosis detection, and treatment recommendation generation. This multi-functionality improves accuracy while consolidating complexity into one unified platform rather than requiring separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automated calculations of cross-sectional area, flow resistance, and treatment recommendations directly from the intravascular imaging data. This self-service capability reduces the need for manual measurements and complex external processing, managing system complexity through automation.
3Productivity
If only vessel diameter is considered for stent selection, then the procedure is faster, but treatment outcomes worsen due to inadequate stent sizing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary automated calculations of cross-sectional area and flow resistance during the imaging phase, before stent selection is required. This preliminary assessment provides accurate sizing information in advance, enabling fast stent selection without compromising treatment outcome quality.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a system and method for recommending a treatment of a vessel. The system is for use in conjunction with an intravascular imaging system which obtains images of the vessel and measures the position of each image along a longitudinal length of the vessel. The system comprises a processor adapted to receive a plurality of intravascular images of the vessel and respective positions along the vessel, determine, from the images, a cross sectional area of a section of the vessel at a plurality of positions along the vessel, determine, from the images and the respective position of the images along the vessel, a flow resistance of the vessel, and output a treatment recommendation based on the cross sectional area of the vessel and the flow resistance of the vessel.