The quantification of the degree of organization of the electrical activity during atrial fibrillation and the spatial localization of organization levels in a highly-resolved anatomical context may support the investigation of the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying the arrhythmia and the refinement of therapeutic approaches. A multi-technique methodology for the integration of organization maps with CT anatomical images is presented, which takes advantage of innovative signal and image processing techniques, recently developed by our group. Specifically, organization maps were constructed by quantifying the degree of morphological similarity of endocardial activation waves acquired by an electroanatomic mapping system. Accurate 3DCT reconstructions of the atrial anatomy were obtained by a semiautomatic segmentation process based on marker controlled watershed segmentation. Sparse-point wave-similarity maps were fused on CT atrial reconstructions by a fully-automated registration and fusion procedure. In particular registration was accomplished by a parameterized geometric transformation of the organization points and a stochastic search of the best parameter set which minimized the misalignment between transformed points and atrial reconstructions. Finally the actual fusion of similarity values on the registered CT atrium was obtained through radial basis function interpolation. The resulting integrated wave-similarity maps offer the unique opportunity to systematically correlate the spatial distribution of organization with cardiac anatomy and may provide mechanistic insight into the AF process, where both the anatomy and the electrophysiological properties of the atria play a crucial role in the initiation and maintenance of the arrhythmia.

Fusion of wave-similarity maps with 3D-CT atrial images for the investigation of atrial fibrillation mechanisms

Ravelli, Flavia;Masè, Michela;
2009-01-01

Abstract

The quantification of the degree of organization of the electrical activity during atrial fibrillation and the spatial localization of organization levels in a highly-resolved anatomical context may support the investigation of the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying the arrhythmia and the refinement of therapeutic approaches. A multi-technique methodology for the integration of organization maps with CT anatomical images is presented, which takes advantage of innovative signal and image processing techniques, recently developed by our group. Specifically, organization maps were constructed by quantifying the degree of morphological similarity of endocardial activation waves acquired by an electroanatomic mapping system. Accurate 3DCT reconstructions of the atrial anatomy were obtained by a semiautomatic segmentation process based on marker controlled watershed segmentation. Sparse-point wave-similarity maps were fused on CT atrial reconstructions by a fully-automated registration and fusion procedure. In particular registration was accomplished by a parameterized geometric transformation of the organization points and a stochastic search of the best parameter set which minimized the misalignment between transformed points and atrial reconstructions. Finally the actual fusion of similarity values on the registered CT atrium was obtained through radial basis function interpolation. The resulting integrated wave-similarity maps offer the unique opportunity to systematically correlate the spatial distribution of organization with cardiac anatomy and may provide mechanistic insight into the AF process, where both the anatomy and the electrophysiological properties of the atria play a crucial role in the initiation and maintenance of the arrhythmia.
2009
IFMBE Proceedings WC 2009, World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
New York (US)
Springer
9783642038815
Ravelli, Flavia; Masè, Michela; Cristoforetti, A; Centonze, M; Del Greco, M; Disertori, M.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/99327
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