title: In vivo human cardiac fibre architecture estimation using shape-based diffusion tensor processing.
abstract: In vivo imaging of cardiac 3D fibre architecture is still a practical and methodological challenge. However it potentially provides important clinical insights, for example leading to a better understanding of the pathophysiology and the follow up of ventricular remodelling after therapy. Recently, the acquisition of 2D multi-slice Diffusion Tensor Images (DTI) of the in vivo human heart has become feasible, yielding a limited number of slices with relatively poor signal-to-noise ratios. In this article, we present a method to analyse the fibre architecture of the left ventricle (LV) using shape-based transformation into a normalised Prolate Spheroidal coordinate frame. Secondly, a dense approximation scheme of the complete 3D cardiac fibre architecture of the LV from a limited number of DTI slices is proposed and validated using ex vivo data. Those two methods are applied in vivo to a group of healthy volunteers, on which 2D DTI slices of the LV were acquired using a free-breathing motion compensated protocol. Results demonstrate the advantages of using curvilinear coordinates both for the anaylsis and the interpolation of cardiac DTI information. Resulting in vivo fibre architecture was found to agree with data from previous studies on ex vivo hearts.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, The Rayne Institute, St. Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom; Inria, Asclepios Research Project, 2004 route des Lucioles, 06902 Sophia-Antipolis, France. Electronic address: nicolas.toussaint@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Toussaint
authors.forename: Christian T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Stoeck
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schaeffter
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kozerke
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sermesant
authors.forename: Philip G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Batchelor
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: Cardiac; Diffusion tensor imaging; Elevation angle; In vivo; Prolate spheroidal coordinates