Virtual Cardioscopy: Interactive endocardial visualization to guide RF cardiac ablation

摘要

Cardiac arrhythmias are a debilitating, potentially life threatening condition involving aberrant electrical activity in the heart which results in abnormal heart rhythm. Virtual cardioscopy can play an important role in minimally invasive treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Second and third generation image-guidance systems are now available for the treatment of arrhythmias using RF ablation catheters. While these 3D tools provide useful information to the clinician, additional enhancements to the virtual cardioscopy display paradigm are critical for optimal therapy guidance. Based on input from clinical collaborators, several key visualization techniques have been developed to enhance the use of virtual cardioscopy during cardiac ablation procedures. We have identified, designed and incorporated several visual cues important to successful virtual cardioscopy. These features include the use of global reference maps, parametric mapping, and focused navigation and targeting using abnormal electro-physiologic activity. Our virtual cardioscopy system is designed for real-time use during RF cardiac ablation procedures. Several unique visualizations from our virtual cardioscopy system will be presented. Evaluation of the system with phantom and animal studies will be presented. This research is supported by grant EB002834 from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health.