From Basic Cardiac Imaging To Image Fusion

The recent development of three-dimensional imaging techniques has provided an enormous amount of information relevant to the clinical management of patients at low and high risk for coronary artery disease. However, while progress in each individual technique has been rapid, the correlation of findings obtained with radiology, nuclear medicine, and magnetic resonance imaging is still relatively neglected. In this book, qualified experts in cardiac imaging present the basic concepts of cardiac pathology and imaging and compare the findings obtained in particular subspecialties with those acquired using other techniques. In this way the reader will learn how images and techniques can be integrated in clinical practice to the benefit of the patient. In addition, it is explained how appropriate multimodality integration can reduce the patient's exposure to ionizing radiation. Physicians ranging from cardiac surgeons to internal medicine specialists and even public health administrators will find this book invaluable in understanding the role of hybrid cardiac imaging.

The availability of 3D imaging in cardiology has provided a large flow of information to the clinical management of low and high risk patients. However, the correlation among different findings such as perfusion, metabolism or wall motion abnormalities is difficult and mostly qualitative. In fact labs may return information that is frequently redundant or even conflicting due to lack of correlation between different techniques in imaging. The complexity of the problem is can be reflected in the technical differences of the many imaging techniques, for example, echocardiography is based on ultrasound while angiography is based on x-rays. This text collects the experiences of different specialists, starting from the basic concepts of cardiac imaging, analyzing differences and similarities between invasive and non-invasive techniques, challenged versus the computer point of view, in order to obtain an operative efficient guide in the field of image fusion.

Image Processing for Automated Diagnosis of Cardiac Diseases highlights current and emerging technologies for the automated diagnosis of cardiac diseases. It presents concepts and practical algorithms, including techniques for the automated diagnosis of organs in motion using image processing. This book is suitable for biomedical engineering researchers, engineers and scientists in research and development, and clinicians who want to learn more about and develop advanced concepts in image processing to overcome the challenges of automated diagnosis of heart disease. Includes advanced techniques to improve diagnostic methods for various cardiac diseases Uses methods to improve the existing diagnostic features of echocardiographic machines Develops new diagnostic features for echocardiographic machines

The standard procedure for defining the anatomic extent andseverity of coronary artery disease is catheter-based selectivecoronary angiography. While there are advantages to coronaryangiography, it is invasive with some risk of complications andrequires a brief period of hospitalization, making it relativelyexpensive. Cardiac CT, PET and MR is a completetechnique-oriented reference, offering real alternatives to the“standard procedure”. Non-invasive techniques of coronary artery lumen imaging, suchas multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonanceimaging (CMR) as well as complementary and at times more usefulphysiologic and/or metabolic imaging techniques provided bypositron emission tomography (PET) are clearly detailed throughoutthis book. Cardiac CT, PET and MR therefore provides an excellentreference for all cardiologists, radiologists, and nuclear medicinephysicians involved in the diagnosis and risk assessment ofpatients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. With the advent of these non-invasive techniques, the future ofinvasive coronary angiography will be reserved primarily fortherapeutic rather than diagnostic purposes. Accordingly, this bookprovides a unique and essential contribution to the developingfield for both physicians and students.

This book provides an accessible and comprehensive overview of the state of the art in multimodal, multiparametric preclinical imaging, covering all the modalities used in preclinical research. The role of different combinations of PET, CT, MR, optical, and optoacoustic imaging methods is examined and explained for a range of applications, from research in oncology, neurology, and cardiology to drug development. Examples of animal studies are highlighted in which multimodal imaging has been pivotal in delivering otherwise unobtainable information. Hardware and software image registration methods and animal-specific factors are also discussed. The readily understandable text is enhanced by numerous informative illustrations that help the reader to appreciate the similarities to, but also the differences from, clinical applications. Image Fusion in Preclinical Applications will be of interest to all who wish to learn more about the use of multimodal/multiparametric imaging as a tool for in vivo investigations in preclinical medical and pharmaceutical research.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First International Workshop on Functional Imaging and Modeling of the Heart, FIMH 2001, held in Helsinki, Finland, in November 2001.The 17 revised full papers presented together with four invited papers were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in the book. The papers are organized in topical sections on anatomical modeling, motion and deformation, functional imaging, and towards electromechanical modeling.

This textbook covers the fundamental principles of cardiovascular imaging modalities and their applications for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. The main focus is on the comprehensive diagnosis of clinical conditions/disease entities through the most effective cardiovascular imaging test or combination. The authors discuss the clinical utility and relative value of each test to address specific clinical questions, based on evidence and expert opinion. Each chapter presents information in the following format: overview, discussion of pathophysiology; differential diagnosis/diagnostic evaluation; prognosis; therapeutic guidance with illustration of treatment pathway. A companion Website will offer the full text, ten multiple-choice questions for each chapter, still and cine images, and imaging clips.

Performing any diagnostic test in medicine is always a matter of trying to get the condition of the patient diagnosed properly with the least effort, exposure, discomfort and at the same time with the lowest possible error probability. Pre-test probability is helpful but often imprecise, effectively overestimating the patient's risk profile. In a broader prevention objective, the phases of a disease, its onset, progression, and complications must be taken into account. The negative predictive value, which is so important, has in turn its main limitation in identifying the healthy patient, that is, the one who does not belong to any cluster of patients in which we would act in terms of prevention. In coronary syndromes, the goal is instead to evaluate coronary heart disease, from mild to more extensive and significant forms. For this purpose, it is necessary to use parameters that investigate different and complementary aspects: stenosis, ischemia, the morphology of the atherosclerotic plaque, metabolic processes, in particular vitality and apoptosis, the presence of inflammatory processes. The possibility, already present thanks to Hybrid Imaging, of 'joining’ exams that study different aspects, will allow the patient to be increasingly characterized not only from a diagnostic point of view but also from a prognostic and personalized therapeutic choice.

In the four years of its existence, MICCAI has developed into the premier - nual conference on medical image computing and computer-assisted interv- tion. The single-track conference has an interdisciplinary character, bringing - getherresearchersfromboththenaturalsciencesandvariousmedicaldisciplines. It provides the international forum for developments concerning all aspects of medical image processing and visualization, image-guided and computer-aided techniques, and robot technology in medicine. The strong interest in MICCAI is con?rmed by the large number of subm- sions we received this year, which by far surpassed our expectations. The arrival of the shipload of papers just before the deadlines (one in the European and the otherin theAmericantime zone)wasa particularlyenjoyableexperience,aswas the whole procedure of preparing the scienti?c programme. Both the quantity and quality of the submissions allowed us to compose a volume of high quality papers, which we are sure will contribute to the further development of this exciting ?eld of research. As for the hard numbers, in total 338 submissions were received. Next to full papers, short communications were solicited for works in progress,hardware prototypes, and clinical case studies. Long papers were reviewed by three or four reviewers and short papers by two or three reviewers. The ?nal selection of papers was carried out by the Programme Board. Out of the 246 long papers, 36 were accepted for oral presentation and 100 as full posters. An additional 75 of the long papers, and 47 out of 92 short papers were accepted as short posters.