Method for imaging an infarction patient's myocardium and method for supporting a therapeutic intervention on the heart

Abstract

Two 3D image data records are obtained mutually independently comprising healthy myocardium, myocardium having a reduced blood supply, and the necrotic myocardium. The image data records are combined to produce an overall image data record after registration, and 2D image representations are produced from the overall image data record in which the necrotic parts of the myocardium are shown emphasized, with simultaneously showing the endocardium or the healthy parts of the myocardium and parts having a reduced blood supply. The overall image data record can be used afterwards. For example, further registering step is carried out using images obtained during an intervention on the myocardium. The further registering step enables the necrotic parts of the myocardium to be assigned to the patient's situation. That can extend as far as catheters being moved automatically up to a boundary of the necrotic myocardium.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the inventions are described below with reference to the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an image resulting from the inventive method,

FIG. 2 presents an alternative to the image representation shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 presents a development of the image representation shown in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 presents a development of the image representation shown in FIG. 1.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A method for imaging a myocardium of a patient having an infarction, comprising: generating a first image data record immediately after administrating a contrast medium to the patient, the first image data record comprising image information of an endocardium, a healthy part of the myocardium, and a part of the myocardium having a reduced blood supply;segmenting the first image data record to a segmented first image data record comprising an image selected from the group consisting of: the endocardium, the healthy part of the myocardium, and the part of the myocardium having the reduced blood supply;generating a second image data record when a pre-specified period of time has elapsed after the administration of the contrast medium, the second image data record comprising an image of a necrotic part of the myocardium;registering the second image data record with the segmented first image data record;superimposing the second image data record with the segmented first image data record based on the registration to produce an overall image data record;generating an overall image representation comprising the image of the necrotic part of the myocardium and the image in the segmented first image data record; andusing the overall image representation in a humanly perceptible manner.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the segmented first image data record is an endocardium image data record comprising an image of the endocardium or a myocardium image data record comprising the image of the health part of the myocardium and the part of the myocardium having the reduced blood supply.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the healthy part of the myocardium, the part of the myocardium having the reduced blood supply, and the necrotic part of the myocardium are assigned to three different attributes and are shown differently in the overall image representation, andwherein the parts having different attributes are shown differently in the overall image representation with different colors.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first and the second image data records are three-dimensional and the overall image representation is two-dimensional.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first and the second image data records are recorded by a C-arm X-ray system.

17. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first and the second image data records are generated at a same pre-specified cardiac or respiration phase.

18. A method for supporting a therapeutic intervention on a heart of a patient, comprising: generating a first image data record immediately after administrating a contrast medium to the patient before the therapeutic intervention, the first image data record comprising image information of an endocardium, a healthy part of a myocardium, and a part of the myocardium having a reduced blood supply;segmenting the first image data record to a segmented first image data record comprising an image selected from the group consisting of: the endocardium, the healthy part of the myocardium, and the part of the myocardium having the reduced blood supply;generating a second image data record when a pre-specified period of time has elapsed after the administration of the contrast medium before the therapeutic intervention, the second image data record comprising an image of a necrotic part of the myocardium;registering the second image data record with the segmented first image data record;superimposing the second image data record with the segmented first image data record based on the registration to produce a pre-operative overall image data record;generating an operation image during the therapeutic intervention;superimposing the operation image with the pre-operative overall image data record;generating an image representation with an image in the pre-operatively overall image data record superimposed on the operation image; andusing the image representation during the therapeutic intervention.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the image in the pre-operatively overall image data record is the image selected from the group consisting of: the healthy part of the myocardium, the part of the myocardium having the reduced blood supply, the necrotic part of the myocardium, and a combination thereof.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein a boundary between the necrotic part of the myocardium and other areas of tissue is determined from the image representation and a therapy instrument is automatically moved to a point on the boundary, andwherein the therapy instrument is an ablation catheter and is automatically moved to the point along the boundary.

21. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the operation image is a two-dimensional image generated by visualizing a three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping data in the two-dimensional image.

22. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the operation image is a three-dimensional operation image data record using a three-dimensional heart rotation angiography.

23. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the operation image is a two-dimensional angiogram or a three-dimensional rotation angiogram using a C-arm X-ray system and is generated after injecting a contrast medium into a coronary artery, andwherein the coronary artery in the operation image is shown in the image representation simultaneously with the image in the pre-operatively overall image data record.

24. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first image data record, the second image data record, and the operation image are generated at a same pre-specified cardiac or respiration phase.

25. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first image data record, the second image data record, and the operation image are recoded by a same image system with the patient having a same position in the image system during recording, andwherein the image system is a C-arm X-ray image system.

26. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the operation image is registered with the pre-operative overall image data record before superimposing the operation image with the pre-operative overall image data record if the first and the second image data records and the operation image are recoded by different image systems or the patient has moved in the image system during recording.

27. A medical system for imaging a myocardium of a patient having an infarction, comprising: an image system that records: a first image data record immediately after administrating a contrast medium to the patient, the first image data record comprising image information of an endocardium and a healthy part of the myocardium and a part of the myocardium having a reduced blood supply,a second image data record when a pre-specified period of time has elapsed after the administration of the contrast medium, the second image data record comprising an image of a necrotic part of the myocardium; andan image processing device that: segments the first image data record to a segmented first image data record comprising an image selected from the group consisting of: the endocardium, the healthy part of the myocardium, and the part of the myocardium having the reduced blood supply,registers the second image data record with the segmented first image data record,generates an overall image data record by superimposing the second image data record with the segmented first image data record based on the registration, andgenerates an overall image representation comprising the image of the necrotic part of the myocardium and the image in the segmented first image data record.

28. The medical system as claimed in the claim 27, wherein the first and the second image data records are recorded before a therapeutic intervention and an operation image is recorded during the therapeutic intervention, andwherein the operation image is superimposed with the pre-operatively overall image data record.

29. The medical system as claimed in the claim 28, wherein the first image data record, the second image data record, and the operation image are recorded at a same pre-specified cardiac or respiration phase.

30. The medical system as claimed in the claim 28, wherein the first image data record, the second image data record, and the operation image are recoded by a same image system with the patient having a same position in the image system during recording, andwherein the image system is a C-arm X-ray image system.

31. medical system as claimed in the claim 28, wherein the operation image is registered with the pre-operative overall image data record before superimposing the operation image with the pre-operative overall image data record if the first and the second image data records and the operation image are recoded by different image systems or the patient has moved in the image system during recording.