We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




Ultrasound Tools Provides Confidence in Cardiac Care

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 20 Sep 2015
Print article
Image: Cardiac model used in the Philips HeartModelA.I (Photo courtesy of Royal Philips).
Image: Cardiac model used in the Philips HeartModelA.I (Photo courtesy of Royal Philips).
A new anatomically intelligent ultrasound (AIUS) tool brings advanced quantification, automated 3-D views, and robust reproducibility to echocardiology.

The Royal Philips (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) HeartModelA.I is designed to automatically detect, segment, and quantify the left atrium (LA) and left ventricle (LV) volume and ejection fraction (EF). The model-based segmentation algorithm is based on prior knowledge of the general structural layout of the heart, how heart location varies within an image, the ways in which the heart shape varies, and the ways in which the heart is imaged using ultrasound. This prior information is what enables the HeartModelA.I. to adapt the model to hearts typically seen in a clinical scenario.

Clinically, HeartModelA.I is designed to detect two LV endocardial borders, at end-diastole (ED) and end-systole (ES). The two endocardial borders mark the inner and outer extents of the myocardial tissue at the blood-tissue interface and at the interface of the compacted myocardium. By thus segmenting the inner and outer extents of the myocardial tissue, an intermediate location can be more robustly defined across a wide range of heart shapes and image quality 3-6 times faster than current methods that are based on using 3D measurements.

When editing of the borders is necessary, the user has two editing options available - a global or regional edit. The global edit consists of adjusting the ED or ES slider value, or relative location of the single LV endocardial border relative to the inner and outer borders that were automatically detected by the algorithm. Regional editing involves adjusting the border on a more localized basis via control points placed along the contour, allows the user to use the application even on hearts exhibiting a very unique or irregular shape.

“Health systems are constantly looking for solutions to provide the most efficient and effective way to help clinicians make confident diagnosis,” said Vitor Rocha, CEO of ultrasound at Philips. “Conventional echocardiograms can be very time consuming. By combining AIUS with the power of HeartModelA.I, we’re able to deliver technology that helps simplify a complicated exam and makes it more reproducible.”

Ultrasound provides a cost-effective, robust imaging modality to measure cardiac function without radiation exposure. Typically, two dimensional (2D) echocardiographic images are used to measure LA or LV volume and EF output, but these measurements rely on making assumptions about the 3-D shape of the heart based only on what is seen in the 2-D image, an assumption that can significantly impact the measurements.

Related Links:

Royal Philips


Diagnostic Ultrasound System
MS1700C
Silver Member
X-Ray QA Meter
T3 AD Pro
Ultrasound Needle Guide
Ultra-Pro 3
Digital Radiographic System
OMNERA 300M

Print article

Channels

MRI

view channel
Image: The AI tool can help interpret and assess how well treatments are working for MS patients (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

AI Tool Tracks Effectiveness of Multiple Sclerosis Treatments Using Brain MRI Scans

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition in which the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, leading to impairments in movement, sensation, and cognition. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) markers... Read more

Nuclear Medicine

view channel
Image: In vivo imaging of U-87 MG xenograft model with varying mass doses of 89Zr-labeled KLG-3 or isotype control (Photo courtesy of L Gajecki et al.; doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.124.268762)

Novel Radiolabeled Antibody Improves Diagnosis and Treatment of Solid Tumors

Interleukin-13 receptor α-2 (IL13Rα2) is a cell surface receptor commonly found in solid tumors such as glioblastoma, melanoma, and breast cancer. It is minimally expressed in normal tissues, making it... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.