荷兰：使用计算机从X线影像勾勒出心脏轮廓

科学家已经设计出一种使用计算机判断左心房或者左心室状况的方法。计算机从X线影像上勾勒出心脏形状，从心腔壁运动状况来判断心脏功能。既往描绘心脏轮廓都是手工完成的。而新方法技术不仅精确而且省时省力。

在进行心脏导管插入手术时，必须得到冠状动脉和左侧心腔（心房与心室）的X线影像。从这些影像的心室壁运动情况来判断心脏的情况，通常都是描绘出心腔在血液最大充盈时相与最小充盈时相的轮廓来完成的。从这些结果就可以判断出心脏的总体功能，以及局部的心腔壁的运动情况。

但是手工描绘心脏轮廓是一项相当耗时的过程，并且由于不同观察者之间的许多差异而影响最终结论。荷兰Leiden大学医学中心（Leiden University Medical Center，Leiden，The Netherlands）的研究人员设计了一个统计学模型，并将其应用到了软件之中。

使用该软件的时候，通过简短的人机对话，操作者手工定义主动脉位置以及心脏的最低点，然后计算机就自动描绘心脏循环两个时相的轮廓。然后得出心腔壁局部运动情况与心脏总体功能。这些信息对于医生做出正确诊断具有极其重要的意义，同时也是进行冠状动脉搭桥术的外科医生所必需的。

根据这项研究，Medis医学影像系统公司(Leiden, The Netherlands)研发了这项应用软件系统，该公司也参与了这项研究项目。

Computer Determines Heart Problems From X-Ray Images

Scientists have developed a way in which a computer can read the condition of the left heart chamber or ventricle. The computer sketches the shape of the heart on the x-ray images, and from the wall motion it determines the heart’s condition. Heart contours had to previously been drawn by hand. The new technique appears to be accurate and saves time.

Scientists have developed a way in which a computer can read the condition of the left heart chamber or ventricle. The computer sketches the shape of the heart on the x-ray images, and from the wall motion it determines the heart’s condition. Heart contours had to previously been drawn by hand. The new technique appears to be accurate and saves time.

During a cardiac catheterization procedure, radiographs of the coronary arteries and of the left heart chamber are obtained. The condition of the heart can be determined by assessing the wall motion of the ventricle from these images, which is typically done by outlining the contours of the heart chamber at the maximal filling phase of the heart chamber with blood and at the minimal filling phase. From these results, the overall function of the heart can be determined, as well as the regional wall motion.

Sketching the contours of the heart, however, is a time-consuming process, which is also hindered by a large number of variabilities between observers. The researchers, from Leiden University Medical Center (Leiden, The Netherlands), created a statistical model that was then translated into a software application.

After a little interaction from the user with the manual definition of the aorta position and the lowest point of the heart, the computer automatically determines the contours in these two phases of the cardiac cycle. Then, the regional wall motion and the global function of the heart are derived. This information is of great significance for the correct diagnosis by the physicians and is also utilized by the surgeons in cases of bypass operations.

Based on this study, a software application has been developed by Medis Medical Imaging Systems (Leiden, The Netherlands), which also participated in the study.