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Published on: October 2, 2021
Automated Detection of Contractile Abnormalities from Stress-Rest Motion Changes
Shahryar Karimi-Ashtiani1, Reza Arsanjani, Mathews Fish
1Departments of Imaging and Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.
Summary
This study introduces a novel method for analyzing myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) data, improving the detection of functional changes between stress and rest scans. The new approach enhances sensitivity in identifying abnormalities in specific heart regions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Standard myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) analysis separates stress and rest studies for functional assessment.
- Current methods for evaluating subtle changes in myocardial motion and thickening are prone to variability due to contour placement and image orientation.
- Assessing stress-induced functional abnormalities requires precise comparison of stress and rest scans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel method for quantifying regional myocardial function changes directly from registered stress and rest gated MPS data.
- To improve the accuracy and sensitivity of detecting stress-induced functional abnormalities compared to standard visual assessment.
- To establish a more robust approach for analyzing myocardial motion and thickening variations.
Main Methods:
- Developed a new measure for regional myocardial function change (motion and thickening) using registered stress and rest gated MPS data.
- Implemented a novel global registration method using optimal rotation for myocardial ellipsoid fit to minimize surface disparities.
- Quantified stress-rest function changes, determined normal limits, and assessed abnormalities in territorial regions using polar map samples.
Main Results:
- The novel method demonstrated improved sensitivity for detecting motion changes on a per-vessel territory basis compared to human expert visual scores.
- Evaluated against visual scores in a test group of 623 cases, the new detection method showed enhanced performance.
- Quantified function signature values were effectively used for abnormality assessments in specific heart regions.
Conclusions:
- The developed method offers a more sensitive and robust approach for assessing regional myocardial function changes from gated MPS data.
- This novel technique overcomes limitations of standard methods, particularly in evaluating subtle functional variations.
- The findings suggest a significant improvement in the detection of stress-induced cardiac abnormalities using this advanced analysis.
