Left Atrium Shape Reconstruction from Sparse Catheter Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current electro-anatomical mapping (EAM) systems require extensive catheter maneuvering and prolonged procedure times to produce accurate anatomical maps of the left atrium, especially for pulmonary vein isolation in atrial fibrillation treatment.

Innovation Solution

An encoder-decoder network with a regularization term is used to reconstruct the shape of the left atrium from partial catheter data, allowing for early visualization and reducing mapping time by utilizing a dataset of 3D atria shapes and corresponding catheter trajectories.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If dense sampling of the left atrial surface is performed using catheter-based EAM, then anatomical mapping accuracy is improved, but procedure time increases to more than 10 minutes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveanatomical mapping accuracyVSAvoidprocedure time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by using pre-trained neural networks that have learned from extensive training data to reconstruct the left atrial anatomy. The network can generate accurate anatomical maps from sparse catheter measurements without requiring the catheter to densely sample the entire surface, thus reducing procedure time while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a computational copy of the left atrial anatomy through neural network reconstruction. Instead of physically mapping every point on the atrial surface with the catheter, the system uses a digital model trained on training data to replicate and complete the anatomical structure from limited measurements, effectively copying the complex geometry from sparse inputs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Measurement precision

If extensive catheter maneuvering is performed to touch a large portion of the boundary, then anatomical accuracy is improved, but device complexity and operation difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveanatomical accuracyVSAvoidcatheter maneuvering difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces the mechanical catheter-based surface touching approach with a computational neural network model. Instead of requiring the catheter to physically contact and measure every point on the atrial boundary, the system uses a trained neural network to infer and reconstruct the complete anatomy from sparse measurements, substituting mechanical sampling with computational reconstruction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The neural network acts as an intermediary between the sparse catheter measurements and the complete anatomical representation. The network receives limited input data from the catheter and produces a comprehensive 3D anatomical model, mediating the transformation from sparse measurements to complete anatomy without requiring direct extensive catheter contact with the surface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of time

If sparse catheter measurements are used, then procedure time is reduced to less than 3 minutes, but anatomical reconstruction accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocedure timeVSAvoidanatomical reconstruction accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms through the neural network training process, where the network continuously refines its reconstruction based on the input measurements and compares against ground truth data from training cases. This feedback loop enables the network to learn optimal reconstruction strategies that maintain high accuracy even from sparse inputs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the approach from direct measurement parameters to computational reconstruction parameters. Instead of relying on the number of physical measurements, the system transforms sparse measurements into a computational representation that the neural network processes to generate accurate anatomy, changing the fundamental parameter of how anatomical information is derived.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4541262A1Left atrium shape reconstruction from sparse location measurements using neural networks
Publication Date: 2025.04.23 BIOSENSE WEBSTER (ISRAEL) LTD
  • EP4541262A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4541262A1 patent drawingFigure 2A~3
  • EP4541262A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A method includes, in a processor, receiving example representations of geometrical shapes of a given type of organ. In a training phase, a neural network model is trained using the example representations. In a modeling phase, the trained neural network model is applied to a set of location measurements acquired in an organ of the given type, to produce a three-dimensional model of the organ.