Three-dimensional reconstruction of myocardial contrast perfusion from biplane cineangiograms by means of linear programming techniques

The assessment of coronary flow reserve from the instantaneous distribution of the contrast agent within the coronary vessels and myocardial muscle at the control state and at maximal flow has been limited by the superimposition of myocardial regions of interest in the two-dimensional images. To overcome these limitations, we are in the process of developing a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction technique to compute the contrast distribution in cross sections of the myocardial muscle from two orthogonal cineangiograms. To limit the number of feasible solutions in the 3D-reconstruction space, the 3D-geometry of the endo- and epicardial boundaries of the myocardium must be determined. For the geometric reconstruction of the epicardium, the centerlines of the left coronary arterial tree are manually or automatically traced in the biplane views. Next, the bifurcations are detected automatically and matched in these two views, allowing a 3D-representation of the coronary tree. Finally, the circumference of the left ventricular myocardium in a selected cross section can be computed from the intersection points of this cross section with the 3D coronary tree using B-splines. For the geometric reconstruction of the left ventricular cavity, we envision to apply the elliptical approximation technique using the LV boundaries defined in the two orthogonal views, or by applying more complex 3D-reconstruction techniques including densitometry. The actual 3D-reconstruction of the contrast distribution in the myocardium is based on a linear programming technique (Transportation model) using cost coefficient matrices. Such a cost coefficient matrix must contain a maximum amount of a priori information, provided by a computer generated model and updated with actual data from the angiographic views. We have only begun to solve this complex problem. However, based on our first experimental results we expect that the linear programming approach with advanced cost coefficient matrices and computed model will lead to a

In vitro performance of echoPIV for assessment of laminar flow profiles in a carotid artery stent

Purpose: Detailed blood flow studies may contribute to improvements in carotid artery stenting. High-frame-rate contrast-enhanced ultrasound followed by particle image velocimetry (PIV), also called echoPIV, is a technique to study blood flow patterns in detail. The performance of echoPIV in presence of a stent has not yet been studied extensively. We compared the performance of echoPIV in stented and nonstented regions in an in vitro flow setup. Approach: A carotid artery stent was deployed in a vessel-mimicking phantom. High-frame-rate contrast-enhanced ultrasound images were acquired with various settings. Signal intensities of the contrast agent, velocity values, and flow profiles were calculated. Results: The results showed decreased signal intensities and correlation coefficients inside the stent, however, PIV analysis in the stent still resulted in plausible flow vectors. Conclusions: Velocity values and laminar flow profiles can be measured in vitro in stented arteries using echoPIV

Innovation in aortoiliac stenting an in vitro comparison

Aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD) may cause disabling claudicatio, due to progression of atherosclerotic plaque. Bypass surgery to treat AIOD has unsurpassed patency results, with 5-year patency rates up to 86%, at the expense of high complication rates (local and systemic morbidity rate of 6% and 16%). Therefore, less invasive, endovascular treatment of AOID with stents in both iliac limbs is the first choice in many cases, however, with limited results (average 5-year patency: 71%, range: 63-82%). Changes in blood flow due to an altered geometry of the bifurcation is likely to be one of the contributing factors. The aim of this study is to compare the geometry and hemodynamics of various aortoiliac stent configurations in vitro. Transparent vessel phantoms mimicking the anatomy of the aortoiliac bifurcation are used to accommodate stent configurations. Bare Metal Kissing stents (BMK), Kissing Covered (KC) stents and the Covered Endovascular Reconstruction of the Aortic Bifurcation (CERAB) configuration are investigated. The models are placed inside a flow rig capable of simulating physiologic relevant flow in the infrarenal area. Dye injection reveals flow disturbances near the neobifurcation of BMK and KC stents as well. At the radial mismatch areas of the KC stents recirculation zones are observed. With the CERAB configuration no flow reversal or large disturbances are observed. In conclusion, dye injection reveals no significant flow disturbances with the new CERAB configuration as seen with the KC and BMK stents