Patient-Specific Angiography Angles for Complete Vessel Coverage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing angiography methods rely on standard vessel geometry assumptions, leading to incomplete vessel coverage, overlap, and foreshortening, which are dependent on the skill of the medical specialist and do not account for individual patient anatomy.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for determining angiography angles based on patient and target vessel information, using patient-specific data such as ECG and CT data, to optimize angiogram coverage by analyzing and adjusting angles until complete vessel coverage is achieved.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If standard vessel geometry assumptions are used to determine angiography angles, then the procedure is simple and quick, but vessel coverage is incomplete and depends on specialist skill

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed of angle determinationVSAvoidvessel coverage accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by obtaining patient-specific anatomical data (such as CT scans or MRI images) before the angiography procedure. This data is processed to create a 3D model of the patient's vasculature, allowing the system to pre-calculate optimal angiography angles tailored to the individual patient's anatomy, thereby improving vessel coverage accuracy without slowing down the actual procedure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a digital copy or 3D reconstruction of the patient's vascular structure from preliminary imaging data. This virtual model is then used to simulate and determine the optimal angiography angles, replacing the need for specialists to rely on standard geometric assumptions and personal experience, thus improving both accuracy and consistency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Manufacturing precision

If multiple standard vessel views are obtained to increase vessel coverage, then coverage may be improved, but the number of angiography angles increases and procedure time extends

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevessel coverage completenessVSAvoidprocedure duration

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs feedback by using preliminary patient-specific anatomical data to calculate and predict the optimal set of angiography angles before the procedure. This allows the system to determine the minimum necessary number of angles required to achieve complete vessel coverage for that specific patient, avoiding unnecessary additional views and reducing procedure time while maintaining complete coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameters by transitioning from fixed standard angiography angles to dynamically calculated patient-specific angles. By adjusting the angiography angles based on individual patient anatomy derived from preliminary imaging, the system achieves complete vessel coverage with fewer optimized angles rather than requiring multiple standard views, thus reducing procedure duration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If angiography angles are determined by specialist experience rather than patient-specific data, then the process is simpler, but coverage accuracy and completeness deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetermination process simplicityVSAvoidangiography angle accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces the mechanical or manual process of angle determination by specialist experience with an automated computational system. The system uses software algorithms to process patient-specific anatomical data and automatically calculate the optimal angiography angles, substituting human expertise with a standardized automated process that improves accuracy and consistency without significantly increasing operational complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS12450744B2Method and system for improved vessel coverage from angiography

Publication Date: 2025.10.21 SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS AG

AI summary

Angiography angles are determined. Patient information and target vessel information are obtained, wherein the patient information defines individual medical information of a patient and wherein the target vessel information defines at least one target vessel to be imaged. At least one angiography angle is determined based on the patient information and the target vessel information. Angiograms obtained using the at least one angiography angle are analyzed to determine a vessel coverage of the target vessel and based on the vessel coverage determines additional angiography angles.