Application of 3D and 4D Heart Models in Cardiac Therapy Planning

Interventional X-ray angiography is state of the art in diagnosis and therapy of severe diseases of the cardiovascular system. In clinical practice, diagnosis is based on contrast enhanced dynamic projection images of the left heart chamber and the coronary vessels. A drawback of the underlying imaging modality is that projection of anatomical structures from 3D to 2D renders raw image data inappropriate for quantifications in therapy planning. In this paper we demonstrate the use of 3D/4D anatomical models as tools for planning of cardiac therapies. The three-dimensional structure of coronary vessels and the heart chamber is modeled and cardiac wall motion is assessed. Algorithms for reconstruction of models from raw angiographic images are presented. Clinical evaluation is based on calculation of diagnostic parameters, statistical analyses and quantification of therapeutic progress. Obtained information allows systematic refinement of therapy planning and thus improves treatment of acute myocardial infarction.