US 12,329,462 B2
Systems and methods for processing electronic images to assess end-organ demand
Charles A. Taylor, Atherton, CA (US); Hyun Jin Kim, San Mateo, CA (US); Sophie Khem, San Francisco, CA (US); Sethuraman Sankaran, Palo Alto, CA (US); David Spain, Portland, OR (US); and Nan Xiao, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Heartflow, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by HeartFlow, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/304,655.
Application 18/304,655 is a continuation of application No. 17/197,271, filed on Mar. 10, 2021, granted, now 11,660,143.
Application 17/197,271 is a continuation of application No. 16/691,266, filed on Nov. 21, 2019, granted, now 10,973,583, issued on Apr. 13, 2021.
Application 16/691,266 is a continuation of application No. 15/192,286, filed on Jun. 24, 2016, granted, now 10,517,678, issued on Dec. 31, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/236,707, filed on Oct. 2, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2023/0277247 A1, Sep. 7, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 34/10 (2016.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/02 (2006.01); A61B 5/026 (2006.01); A61B 6/00 (2024.01); A61B 6/03 (2006.01); A61B 6/50 (2024.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/06 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01); A61B 8/12 (2006.01); G16H 50/20 (2018.01); G16H 50/50 (2018.01); G16H 50/70 (2018.01)
CPC A61B 34/10 (2016.02) [A61B 5/0044 (2013.01); A61B 5/02028 (2013.01); A61B 5/0263 (2013.01); A61B 6/032 (2013.01); A61B 6/037 (2013.01); A61B 6/503 (2013.01); A61B 6/504 (2013.01); A61B 6/507 (2013.01); A61B 6/5217 (2013.01); A61B 8/065 (2013.01); A61B 8/12 (2013.01); A61B 8/5223 (2013.01); G16H 50/20 (2018.01); G16H 50/50 (2018.01); G16H 50/70 (2018.01); A61B 5/0035 (2013.01); A61B 5/0042 (2013.01); A61B 5/02007 (2013.01); A61B 5/7275 (2013.01); A61B 8/0883 (2013.01); A61B 8/0891 (2013.01); A61B 2034/105 (2016.02); A61B 2576/023 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method of processing patient-specific images, the method comprising:
receiving patient-specific imaging data generated by an imaging device having an imaging threshold, wherein the patient-specific imaging data includes data representing one or more first blood vessels of a patient, and wherein the patient-specific imaging data lacks data representing one or more second blood vessels of the patient because the one or more second blood vessels are smaller than the imaging threshold;
generating a first portion of a patient-specific model of a patient's vasculature, wherein the first portion of the patient-specific model is based on the patient-specific imaging data, and wherein the first portion of the patient-specific model includes the one or more first blood vessels, which have one or more blood vessel outlets;
generating a second portion of the patient-specific model of blood vessels of the patient's vasculature, wherein the second portion of the patient-specific model models the one or more second blood vessels that are lacking in the patient-specific imaging data because they are smaller than the imaging threshold of the imaging device, and wherein the one or more second blood vessels in the second portion of the patient-specific model are downstream of the one or more blood vessel outlets of the first portion of the patient-specific model;
combining the first portion of the patient-specific model with the second portion of the patient-specific model to create a combined patient-specific model;
using the combined patient-specific model, determining a first metric relating a supply of blood provided by the patient's vasculature to an amount of blood demanded by at least a portion of a tissue or organ receiving blood from the patient's vasculature;
determining whether the first metric indicates a mismatch between the supply of blood provided by the patient's vasculature and the amount of blood demanded by the at least the portion of the tissue or organ receiving blood from the patient's vasculature;
using the first metric to determine a second metric, wherein the second metric is a measure of blood flow, pressure, perfusion, or fractional flow reserve; and
displaying the combined patient-specific model, wherein the displayed combined patient-specific model includes a color spectrum indicating variations in values of the second metric along portions of the combined patient-specific model.