Summary
Objectives:
Spatial-temporal MR image sequences of the heart contain information about shape
and motion changes and pathological structures after myocardial infarction. In this
paper a Heart Analysis Tool (HeAT) for the quantitative analysis of 4D MR image sequences
of infarct patients is presented.
Methods:
HeAT supports interactive segmentation of anatomical and pathological structures.
Registration of Cine- and DE-MR image data is applied to enable their combined evaluation
during the analysis process. Partitioning of the myocardium in segments enables the
analysis with high local resolution. Corresponding segments are generated and used
for inter/intra-patient comparison. Quantitative parameters were extracted and visualized.
Results:
Parameters like endocard movement in the infarcted area of six infarct patients were
computed in HeAT. Parameters in the infarct area show the expected dysfunctional characteristics.
Based on theses parameters passive endocardial movement and myocardial areas with
decreased contraction could be identified.
Conclusion:
In contrast to other software tools HeAT supports the combination of contour information
of Cine-MR and DE-MR, local analysis with high resolution and inter/intra patient
comparison. HeAT enables an observer-independent evaluation of the complex cardiac
image data. Using HeAT in further studies can increase the understanding of left ventricle(LV) remodeling.
Keywords
Image processing - myocardial infarct - Cine-magnetic resonance imaging - left ventricular
remodeling - computer-assisted image analysis
