by
Lauren Dubinsky, Senior Reporter | September 08, 2016
Courtesy of Fraunhofer MEVIS
Children with congenital heart defects usually have to undergo many strenuous exams and interventions, but that may no longer be the case.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Imaging Computing MEVIS in Germany have developed a software that can simulate certain interventions in advance. This research is part of the EU CARDIOPROOF project, which will be completed at the end of this year.
The computer simulation uses MR images of the patient's heart that show blood flow and the shape of the blood vessels. It's able to determine which blood pressure conditions are found in the vessels.
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The experts can then use that blood flow simulation to replicate and estimate different types of interventions on a computer, and determine their effect on the patients' blood flow and pressure. For example, they can inflate a virtual balloon catheter to assess its effect.
They can also perform "virtual stenting", in which they can simulate the insertion of a variety of stents on the computer. That helps them to select the best stent and where it should be placed.
The researchers conducted clinical studies at the German Heart Center in Berlin to assess how realistic the computer simulations were. After the interventions, the patients underwent MR exams so that blood flow before and after would be calculated and compared to the simulation.
They found that the computer simulations generated accurate predictions of blood flow and pressure. In addition, the simulations can be generated in a half hour and the results are usually ready in another half hour.
The simulations can also cut health care costs. The London School of Economics, a partner in the project, produced a detailed analysis of the financial and organizational uses of the software, compared to those in current practice.
The results demonstrated that in the best cases, the software can cut the cost per patient by up to 10 percent, since it reduces the amount of complications and follow-up treatments.
The EU CARDIOPROOF project's goal is to develop a software for clinical use. The research team in Bremen is working closely with the project's partner clinics to find out how the new software can be integrated in the hospitals' routines.
