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Automatic mapping of atrial fiber orientations for patient‐specific modeling of cardiac electromechanics using image registration
Author(s) -
Hoermann Julia M.,
Pfaller Martin R.,
Avena Linda,
Bertoglio Cristóbal,
Wall Wolfgang A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in biomedical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.741
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 2040-7947
pISSN - 2040-7939
DOI - 10.1002/cnm.3190
Subject(s) - electromechanics , human heart , image registration , atlas (anatomy) , fiber , computation , computer science , cardiac imaging , biomedical engineering , artificial intelligence , computer vision , image (mathematics) , engineering , cardiology , anatomy , medicine , materials science , mechanical engineering , algorithm , composite material
Abstract Knowledge of appropriate local fiber architecture is necessary to simulate patient‐specific electromechanics in the human heart. However, it is not yet possible to reliably measure in vivo fiber directions especially in human atria. Thus, we present a method that defines the fiber architecture in arbitrarily shaped atria using image registration and reorientation methods based on atlas atria with fibers predefined from detailed histological observations. Thereby, it is possible to generate detailed fiber families in every new patient‐specific geometry in an automated, time‐efficient process. We demonstrate the good performance of the image registration and fiber definition on 10 differently shaped human atria. Additionally, we show that characteristics of the electrophysiological activation pattern that appear in the atlas atria also appear in the patients' atria. We arrive to analogous conclusions for coupled electro‐mechano‐hemodynamical computations.