Computer program images beating heart
By tracking the arteries associated with the heart in low-resolution magnetic resonance images at high speeds and then "subtracting" the artifacts that are out of place, the new technique produces images that show the heart as if it were immobile.
After an initial scan of the heart, the captured magnetic resonance images are then used to re-position the next scan of the heart in a specified plane depending on whether the heart valve or arteries are being imaged. After continuous imaging, the algorithm then extracts the motion of the surrounding tissue based on the fixed plane of the image.
By tracking the heart structures across a host of resolutions, from temporal and spatial resolutions to high and low resolutions, a final image free of the artifacts caused by heart motion can be generated.
The algorithm can then be adapted by creating a template, or a stored reference window, for each specific region of the heart, thereby producing highly accurate estimates of the motion of each structure and the necessary extraction to produce an accurate image. Multiple templates were developed to account for the various deformations that occur as the heart beats, optimized by a standard coordinate mapping system.
So far the multiple-template algorithm developed by the Hopkins team has been able to image the heart and various cardiac structures accurately in magnetic resonance images in a variety of cardiac cycles. This development has been shown to greatly increase both the speed and quality at which MRI resultsare produced.
The researchers are now working towards integrating their algorithm with an MRI scanner to evaluate their motion-compensation techniques on human volunteers. Their estimation techniques will then be optimized to assist physicians in making accurate and early diagnoses of heart disease in at-risk patients.
After an initial scan of the heart, the captured magnetic resonance images are then used to re-position the next scan of the heart in a specified plane depending on whether the heart valve or arteries are being imaged. After continuous imaging, the algorithm then extracts the motion of the surrounding tissue based on the fixed plane of the image.
By tracking the heart structures across a host of resolutions, from temporal and spatial resolutions to high and low resolutions, a final image free of the artifacts caused by heart motion can be generated.
The algorithm can then be adapted by creating a template, or a stored reference window, for each specific region of the heart, thereby producing highly accurate estimates of the motion of each structure and the necessary extraction to produce an accurate image. Multiple templates were developed to account for the various deformations that occur as the heart beats, optimized by a standard coordinate mapping system.
So far the multiple-template algorithm developed by the Hopkins team has been able to image the heart and various cardiac structures accurately in magnetic resonance images in a variety of cardiac cycles. This development has been shown to greatly increase both the speed and quality at which MRI resultsare produced.
The researchers are now working towards integrating their algorithm with an MRI scanner to evaluate their motion-compensation techniques on human volunteers. Their estimation techniques will then be optimized to assist physicians in making accurate and early diagnoses of heart disease in at-risk patients.
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