Noninvasive assessment method to determine the anatomic compatibility of an implantable artificial heart system.
To assess the anatomic compatibility of an artificial heart (AH), we attempted to develop a computer environment that would facilitate a reliable simulation of an AH implanted in the human thorax. A three-dimensional thoracic computer model with a ventricle-resected heart was constructed, by using manually extracted contour points of the aorta, pulmonary artery, atria, atrioventricular valves, diaphragm, and thoracic wall from a set of consecutive CT images. Such a model enabled simulation of an AH implantation by orienting the AH model in it. Error evaluation on CT imaging and contour extraction with a Plexiglas cylindrical phantom showed that the diameter of the extracted phantom contour was approximately 2 mm smaller than its original with a standard deviation of <0.5 mm. Errors in contour and surface reconstruction could be reduced to far less than 1 mm under constrained conditions. A study on the influence of breathing revealed that variations in some thoracic dimensions between inspiration and expiration could reach 10 mm. In summary, computer simulation of AH implantation is a worthwhile approach with acceptable accuracy, although further considerations of extreme thoracic situations will be required.
Zhang
B
B
Department of Artificial Organs, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Suita-shi, Osaka-fu, Japan.
Tatsumi
E
E
Taenaka
Y
Y
Takano
H
H
Masuzawa
T
T
D003198:Computer Simulation; D006354:Heart, Artificial; D006801:Humans; D013909:Thorax / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed