Method and system for facilitating physiological computations

Abstract

A system for noninvasively determining at least one physiological characteristic of a patient may include at least one computer system configured to, using a three-dimensional surface mesh model created using patient-specific imaging data, create a three-dimensional combined surface and volume mesh model, including at least a first model portion that has a different spatial resolution than at least a second model portion. The computer system may be further configured to input the three-dimensional surface and volume mesh model into a fluid simulation system and determine a measurement of the physiological characteristic, using the fluid simulation system.

1 - 36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . A system for noninvasively determining patient-specific treatment options, the system comprising:
 at least one computer system configured to, using a hardware processor of the at least one computer system:
 obtaining and preprocessing patient-specific anatomical data; 
 creating a three-dimensional model of a patient's anatomy based on the patient-specific anatomical data; 
 determining one or more boundary conditions of the three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy; 
 preparing the three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy by trimming the three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy and incorporating the one or more boundary conditions; 
 processing the prepared three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy by converting at least a surface representation of the three-dimensional model into a mesh discretizing a surface or volume of the three-dimensional model; 
 determining blood flow information for the patient by analyzing the processed three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy; and 
 determining the patient-specific treatment options based on the determined blood flow information. 
   
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 37 , wherein the patient-specific anatomical data includes at least a portion of the aorta and a proximal portion of main coronary arteries. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 37 , wherein the one or more boundary conditions provide information about the three-dimensional model at inflow boundaries, outflow boundaries, or vessel wall boundaries. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the inflow boundaries are assigned with a prescribed value for velocity, flow rate, or pressure. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the prescribed value is determined by noninvasively measuring physiologic characteristics of the patient. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 37 , wherein the prepared three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy is a surface mesh model of one or more patient-specific physiologic parameters. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 42 , wherein the one or more patient-specific physiologic parameters include blood pressure, patient height, patient weight, or myocardial mass. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the patient-specific treatment options include placing a coronary stent in one of the main coronary arteries represented in the three-dimensional model. 
     
     
         45 . A method for noninvasively determining patient-specific treatment options using a computer system, the method comprising:
 obtaining and preprocessing patient-specific anatomical data;   creating a three-dimensional model of a patient's anatomy based on the patient-specific anatomical data;   determining one or more boundary conditions of the three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy;   preparing the three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy by trimming the three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy and incorporating the one or more boundary conditions;   processing the prepared three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy by converting at least a surface representation of the three-dimensional model into a mesh discretizing a surface or volume of the three-dimensional model;   determining blood flow information for the patient by analyzing the processed three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy; and   determining the patient-specific treatment options based on the determined blood flow information.   
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the patient-specific anatomical data includes at least a portion of the aorta and a proximal portion of main coronary arteries. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the one or more boundary conditions provide information about the three-dimensional model at inflow boundaries, outflow boundaries, or vessel wall boundaries. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein the inflow boundaries are assigned with a prescribed value for velocity, flow rate, or pressure. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein the prescribed value is determined by noninvasively measuring physiologic characteristics of the patient. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the prepared three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy is a surface mesh model of one or more patient-specific physiologic parameters. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the one or more patient-specific physiologic parameters include blood pressure, patient height, patient weight, or myocardial mass. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the patient-specific treatment options include placing a coronary stent in one of the main coronary arteries represented in the three-dimensional model. 
     
     
         53 . A non-transitory computer readable medium for use on at least one computer system containing computer-executable programming instructions for performing a method for noninvasively determining patient-specific treatment options, the method comprising:
 obtaining and preprocessing patient-specific anatomical data;   creating a three-dimensional model of a patient's anatomy based on the patient-specific anatomical data;   determining one or more boundary conditions of the three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy;   preparing the three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy by trimming the three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy and incorporating the one or more boundary conditions;   processing the prepared three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy by converting at least a surface representation of the three-dimensional model into a mesh discretizing a surface or volume of the three-dimensional model;   determining blood flow information for the patient by analyzing the processed three-dimensional model of the patient's anatomy; and   determining the patient-specific treatment options based on the determined blood flow information.   
     
     
         54 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 53 , wherein the patient-specific anatomical data includes at least a portion of the aorta and a proximal portion of main coronary arteries. 
     
     
         55 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 53 , wherein the one or more boundary conditions provide information about the three-dimensional model at inflow boundaries, outflow boundaries, or vessel wall boundaries. 
     
     
         56 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 55 , wherein the inflow boundaries are assigned with a prescribed value for velocity, flow rate, or pressure.