Congenital Long-QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a genetic dis- order affecting the repolarization of the heart. The most prevalent subtypes of LQTS are LQT1-3. In this work, we aim to evaluate the differences in the T-waves of simu- lated LQT1-3 in order to identify markers in the ECG that might help to classify patients solely based on ECG mea- surements. For LQT1, mutation S277L was used to char- acterize IKs and mutation S818L in IKr for LQT2. Volt- age clamp data were used to parametrize the ion channel equations of the ten Tusscher and Panfilov model of hu- man ventricular electrophysiology. LQT3 was integrated using an existing mutant INa model. The monodomain model was used in a transmural and apico-basal heteroge- neous model of the ventricles to calculate ventricular exci- tation propagation. The forward calculation on a torso model was performed to determine body surface ECGs. Compared to the physiological case with a QT-time of 375 ms, this interval was prolonged in all LQTS (LQT1 423 ms; LQT2 394 ms; LQT3 405 ms). The T-wave ampli- tude was changed (Einthoven lead II: LQT1 108%; LQT2 91%; LQT3 103%). Also, the width of the T-wave was en- larged (full width at half maximum: LQT1 111%; LQT2 125%; LQT3 109%). At the current state of modeling and data analysis, the three LQTS have not been distinguish- able solely by ECG data.
O. Dössel, and J. Bohnert. Safety considerations for magnetic fields of 10 mT to 100 mT amplitude in the frequency range of 10 kHz to 100 kHz for magnetic particle imaging. In Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering, vol. 58(6) , pp. 611-621, 2013
Abstract:
Abstract Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a new imaging modality using oscillating magnetic fields in the frequency range of 10 kHz to 100 kHz. The duration of data acquisition becomes smaller, and signal-to-noise ratio improves if the amplitude of these fields is increased - technically amplitudes of up to 100 mT might be feasible for human-sized systems. On the other hand, with increasing field strength, adverse health effects must be expected: oscillating magnetic fields can stimulate nerves and muscle and heat up tissue. Thresholds for stimulation with magnetic fields in this frequency range are not precisely known, neither is the local temperature rise following exposure. The ICNIRP guidelines define reference levels for magnetic field exposure for the general public that contain large safety factors - for medical diagnostics, they might be exceeded for a short time. In this article, research and guidelines in this field are briefly reviewed, and new results are presented in order to contribute to a future definition of safety limits for oscillating magnetic fields in MPI.
O. Dössel, M. W. Krueger, and G. Seemann. Personalized Electrophysiological Modeling of the Human Atrium. In Cardiac Mapping, Fourth Edition, vol. 4, pp. 150-158, 2013
Abstract:
Numerical and patient-specific models of the human atrial anatomy and electrophysiology have a high potential to enhance our knowledge regarding pathological conditions and to increase the outcome of diagnosis and therapy. This chapter briefly describes the current state of the art in modeling of generalized human atria. Furthermore, the chapter demonstrates ways to personalize human atrial anatomy and electrophysiology based on a variety of measurement data from, e.g. late enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), patch clamp technique, intracardiac electrograms and body surface potential maps. Wherever patient data cannot be collected, patient-group specific behavior can be integrated. Some examples of the personalization process are described and the validation process is discussed together with future options for personalization, validation and application.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, and the total number of AF patients is constantly increasing. The mechanisms leading to and sustaining AF are not completely understood yet. Heterogeneities in atrial electrophysiology seem to play an important role in this context. Although some heterogeneities have been used in in-silico human atrial modeling studies, they have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, the original electrophysiological (EP) models of Courtemanche et al., Nygren et al. and Maleckar et al. were adjusted to reproduce action potentials in 13 atrial regions. The parameter sets were validated against experimental action potential duration data and ECG data from patients with AV block. The use of the heterogeneous EP model led to a more synchronized repolarization sequence in a variety of 3D atrial anatomical models. Combination of the heterogeneous EP model with a model of persistent AF-remodeled electrophysiology led to a drastic change in cell electrophysiology. Simulated Ta-waves were significantly shorter under the remodeling. The heterogeneities in cell electrophysiology explain the previously observed Ta-wave effects. The results mark an important step toward the reliable simulation of the atrial repolarization sequence, give a deeper understanding of the mechanism of atrial repolarization and enable further clinical investigations.
Computational atrial models aid the understanding of pathological mechanisms and therapeutic measures in basic research. The use of biophysical models in a clinical environment requires methods to personalize the anatomy and electrophysiology (EP). Strategies for the automation of model generation and for evaluation are needed. In this manuscript, the current efforts of clinical atrial modeling in the euHeart project are summarized within the context of recent publications in this field. Model-based segmentation methods allow for the automatic generation of ready-to-simulate patient-specific anatomical models. EP models can be adapted to patient groups based on a-priori knowledge, and to the individual without significant further data acquisition. ECG and intracardiac data build the basis for excitation personalization. Information from late enhancement (LE) MRI can be used to evaluate the success of radio-frequency ablation (RFA) procedures and interactive virtual atria pave the way for RFA planning. Atrial modeling is currently in a transition from the sole use in basic research to future clinical applications. The proposed methods build the framework for model-based diagnosis and therapy evaluation and planning. Complex models allow to understand biophysical mechanisms and enable the development of simplified models for clinical applications.
Multiscale cardiac modeling has made great advances over the last decade. Highly detailed atrial models were created and used for the investigation of initiation and perpetuation of atrial fibrillation. The next challenge is the use of personalized atrial models in clinical practice. In this study, a framework of simple and robust tools is presented, which enables the generation and validation of patient-specific anatomical and electrophysiological atrial models. Introduction of rule-based atrial fiber orientation produced a realistic excitation sequence and a better correlation to the measured electrocardiograms. Personalization of the global conduction velocity lead to a precise match of the measured P-wave duration. The use of a virtual cohort of nine patient and volunteer models averaged out possible model-specific errors. Intra-atrial excitation conduction was personalized manually from left atrial local activation time maps. Inclusion of LE-MRI data into the simulations revealed possible gaps in ablation lesions. A fast marching level set approach to compute atrial depolarization was extended to incorporate anisotropy and conduction velocity heterogeneities and reproduced the monodomain solution. The presented chain of tools is an important step towards the use of atrial models for the patient-specific AF diagnosis and ablation therapy planing.
G. Lenis, T. Baas, and O. Dössel. Ectopic beats and their influence on the morphology of subsequent waves in the electrocardiogram. In Biomedical Engineering / Biomedizinische Technik, vol. 58(2) , pp. 109-119, 2013
Abstract:
Ventricular ectopic beats (VEBs) trigger a characteristic response of the heart called heart rate turbulence (HRT). The HRT can be used to predict sudden cardiac death in patients with a history of myocardial infarction. In this work, we present a reliable algorithm to detect and classify ectopic beats. Every electrocardiogram (ECG) is processed with innovative filtering techniques, artifact detection methods, and a robust multichannel analysis to produce accurate annotation results. For the classification task, a support vec- tor machine was used. Furthermore, a new approach to the analysis of HRT is proposed. The HRT is interpreted as the response of a second-order system to an external perturbation. The system theoretical parameters were estimated. The influence of VEB on the morphology of subsequent T waves was also analyzed. A strong influence was detected in the study with 14 patients experiencing frequent VEB. The evolution of the morphology of the T wave with every new beat was studied, and it could be concluded that an exponential shape underlies this dynamic process and was called morphological heart rate turbulence (MHRT). Parameters were defined to quantify the MHRT. The analysis of the MHRT could help to understand the influence of an ectopic beat on the repolarization processes of the heart and more accurately stratify the risk of sudden cardiac death.
Inhibition of the atrial ultra-rapid delayed rectifier potassium current (I Kur) represents a promising therapeutic strategy in the therapy of atrial fibrillation. However, experimental and clinical data on the antiarrhythmic efficacy remain controversial. We tested the hypothesis that antiarrhythmic effects of I Kur inhibitors are dependent on kinetic properties of channel blockade. A mathematical description of I Kur blockade was introduced into Courtemanche-Ramirez-Nattel models of normal and remodeled atrial electrophysiology. Effects of five model compounds with different kinetic properties were analyzed. Although a reduction of dominant frequencies could be observed in two dimensional tissue simulations for all compounds, a reduction of spiral wave activity could be only be detected in two cases. We found that an increase of the percent area of refractory tissue due to a prolongation of the wavelength seems to be particularly important. By automatic tracking of spiral tip movement we find that increased refractoriness resulted in rotor extinction caused by an increased spiral-tip meandering. We show that antiarrhythmic effects of I Kur inhibitors are dependent on kinetic properties of blockade. We find that an increase of the percent area of refractory tissue is the underlying mechanism for an increased spiral-tip meandering, resulting in the extinction of re-entrant circuits.
W. H. W. Schulze, D. Potyagaylo, and O. Dössel. Predicting the accuracy of cardiac pace mapping from lead field matrix characteristics. In Journal of Electrocardiology, vol. 46(4) , pp. e37, 2013
Electrophysiological modeling of cardiac tissue is commonly based on functional and structural properties measured in experiments. Our knowledge of these properties is incomplete, in particular their remodeling in disease. Here, we introduce a methodology for quantitative tissue characterization based on fluorescent labeling, three-dimensional scanning confocal microscopy, image processing and reconstruction of tissue micro-structure at sub-micrometer resolution. We applied this methodology to normal rabbit ventricular tissue and tissue from hearts with myocardial infarction. Our analysis revealed that the volume fraction of fibroblasts increased from 4.830.42% (meanstandard deviation) in normal tissue up to 6.510.38% in myocardium from infarcted hearts. The myocyte volume fraction decreased from 76.209.89% in normal to 73.488.02% adjacent to the infarct. Numerical field calculations on three-dimensional reconstructions of the extracellular space yielded an extracellular longitudinal conductivity of 0.2640.082 S/m with an anisotropy ratio of 2.0951.11 in normal tissue. Adjacent to the infarct, the longitudinal conductivity increased up to 0.4000.051 S/m, but the anisotropy ratio decreased to 1.2950.09. Our study indicates an increased density of gap junctions proximal to both fibroblasts and myocytes in infarcted versus normal tissue, supporting previous hypotheses of electrical coupling of fibroblasts and myocytes in infarcted hearts. We suggest that the presented methodology provides an important contribution to modeling normal and diseased tissue. Applications of the methodology include the clinical characterization of disease-associated remodeling. 1.
Mathematical modeling of cardiac electrophysiology is an insightful method to investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. In past years, five models of human atrial electrophysiology with different formulations of ionic currents, and consequently diverging properties, have been published. The aim of this work is to give an overview of strengths and weaknesses of these models depending on the purpose and the general requirements of simulations. Therefore, these models were systematically benchmarked with respect to general mathematical properties and their ability to reproduce certain electrophysiological phenomena, such as action potential alternans. To assess the models ability to replicate modified properties of human myocytes and tissue in cardiac disease, electrical remodeling in chronic atrial fibrillation was chosen as test case. The healthy and remodeled model variants were compared with experimental results in single-cell, 1D and 2D tissue simulations to investigate action potential and restitution properties, as well as the initiation of reentrant circuits.
Books (1)
A. Q. Abbasi, and W. Aziz. Human Gait Analysis: Analysis of Human Gait Dynamics Using Symbolic Time Series Analysis Method. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, Pakistan. 2013.
Abstract:
Signals obtained from biological systems exhibit pronounced complexity. The patterns of change contain valuable information about the dynamics of underlying control mechanism of the complex biological systems. Human gait is a complex process with multiple inputs and numerous outputs.Various complexity analysis tools have been proposed to extract information from human gait time series. In this study, we used recently developed threshold based symbolic entropy to compare the spontaneous output of the human locomotors system during constrained and metronomically paced walking protocols. The findings indicated that the unprompted output of human locomotors system is more complex during unconstrained normal walking as compared with slow, fast or metronomically paced walking. The results was compared with the Multiscale Entropy (MSE) Analysis proposed and we concluded that the Symbolic Analysis is more robust than multiscale entropy method as well as our method is also useful for smaller time series whereas MSE is not suitable for shorter time series.
Book Chapters (1)
O. Dössel. Vertrauen in die Technikwissenschaften, Vertrauen in die Medizintechnik?!. In Debatte - Vertrauen in die/in der Wissenschaft?, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, pp. 75-81, 2013
Abstract:
VERTRAUEN IN DIE / IN DER WISSENSCHAFT?Streitgespräche in den Wissenschaftlichen Sitzungen der Versammlung der Akademiemitglieder am 30. November 2012 und am 14. Juni 2013
Conference Contributions (32)
S. Bauer, J.-C. Edelmann, G. Seemann, F. B. Sachse, and O. Dossel. Estimating intracellular conductivity tensors from confocal microscopy of rabbit ventricular tissue. In Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
Bidomain simulations of the heart need validated parameters to produce realistic data. Therefore, it is nec- essary to develop methods to estimate reliable values for these parameters. We developed an approach to deliver such values by designing an in-silico model of intracellular electrical conduction based on confocal microscopic data of rabbit ventricular tissue. High resolution image data were used to determine the anisotropy of electrical conduc- tivity in the myocardium, which is highly dependent on the specific tissue geometry. Gap junction protein connexin43 and extracellular space were labeled with fluorescent dyes of different spectra. The myocytes were segmented and the gap junction density in-between myocytes was extracted. Assuming conductivities for intracellular liquid and gap junction resistance, a numerical field calculation was per- formed for three principal directions in order to extract in- tracellular conductivity tensors. We calculated 9 tensors by varying the assumed conductivities by ±50%. We esti- mated the intracellular conductivities for the three princi- pal directions σi,x = 0.0653 S/m, σi,y = 0.0042 S/m and σi,z = 0.0033 S/m, respectively. The estimated conductiv- ity values were realistic regarding the electrical anisotropy but need to be improved to fit other experimental data.
T. Fritz, O. Dössel, and M. Krueger. Electromechanical modeling of the human atria. In Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
Cardiac computer modeling can help to gain a deeper insight into the physiological processes of the heart. In this work we present a new electromechanical modeling framework which allows to simulate the contraction of the atria in a model of the whole heart with realistic bound- ary conditions. For the active tension development (TD) we used a model, which was originally developed to describe the TD of the ventricles. However, TD in the atria differs significantly from that of the ventricles. On that account, we adapted the TD model to the measurement data of the atria. The modeling framework allows to obtain a realistic motion of the atria during the contraction cycle.
A new method to predict changes in a lead-field matrix induced by conductivity variations of a single body tissue is proposed. The approach is based on the princi- ple component analysis (PCA) with three initial lead-field matrices transformed to vectors as input. For each tissue blood, lungs, muscles and fat a PCA was carried out. Further, for each tissue the default conductivity value and the conductivity varied by ±50 % were used to calculate the sample lead-field matrices. The results of the PCAs in- dicate that for every tissue the first principle component suffices to predict the conductivity-induced changes in the samples. With an interpolation of the scores we addition- ally show that the prediction is not bound to the sample ma- trices but moreover every matrix within each conductivity range is possibly estimated and conclusively predicted.
Complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAE) are a target for catheter ablation as they coincide with areas of slow conduction. In this study we simulated different vol- ume fractions of diffuse and patchy fibrosis up to 50 %. Catheter signals for different electrode spacings were cal- culated and characteristic features were compared to a clinical database of CFAE-signals. A linear slowing of global conduction velocities was found independent of the type of fibrosis. For patchy fibrosis, electrograms displayed fractionation, which was not seen for diffuse fibrosis of the same degree. In comparison to clinical data, simulated electrograms showed up to 10 zero crossings per electro- gram, which was also seen for clinical EGMs with medium fractionation (class 2 of 3). For both, clinical (84 %) and simulated (88 %) signals, a significant difference in ampli- tude is present between fractionated and non-fractionated signals.
M. W. Keller, S. Schuler, A. Luik, C. Schmitt, and O. Dössel. Evaluating changes in electrogram morphology during radiofrequency ablation of cardiac arrhythmias. In Biomedical Engineering/Biomedizinische Technik, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
Creating transmural ablation scars in a reliable way is a key issue in improvement of therapeutical pro- cedures for cardiac arrhythmias. About one third of the patients has to undergo several procedures till arrhythmic episodes are successfully treated. Morphological features of intracardiac electrograms might contribute to evaluate scar transmurality during the ablation procedure. We an- alyzed intracardiac signals before, during and after point- wise ablation in patients with atrial flutter. Unipolar elec- trograms of the distal electrode showed a relative decrease in amplitude of the second extremum of up to 99 % with a mean of 84±20.6 % after the endpoint of ablation.
Intracardiac electrograms are the key in under- standing, interpretation and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. However, electrogram morphologies are strongly variable due to catheter position, orientation and contact. Simulations of intracardiac electrograms can improve comprehension and quantification of influencing parameters and therefore reduce misinterpretations. In this study simulated intracardiac electro- grams are analyzed regarding tilt angles of the catheter relative to the propagation direction, electrode tissue distances as well as clinical filter settings. Catheter signals are computed on a realistic 3D catheter geometry using bidomain simulations of cardiac electrophysiology. Thereby high conductivities of the catheter electrodes are taken into account. For validation, simulated electrograms are compared with in vivo electrograms recorded during an EP-study with direct annotation of catheter orientation and tissue contact. Good agreement was reached regarding timing and signal width of simulated and measured electrograms. Correlation was 0.92±0.07 for bipolar, 0.92±0.05 for unipolar distal and 0.80 ± 0.12 for unipolar proximal electrograms for different catheter orientations and locations.
Abstract. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhyth- mia. Patient-specific computational modeling of the atria can provide a better understanding about mechanisms underlying the arrhythmia and will potentially be used for model-based ablation therapy evaluation and planning. Electrical excitation spreads from the left to the right atrium at discrete locations. The location of the muscular bridges cannot be determined from image data. In the present study, left atrial activation sources were manually identified in local activation time maps of 4 AF patients. This information was used to adjust rule-based placed intera- trial bridges in anatomical atrial models of the patients. Sinus rhythm simulations showed a better qualitative agreement to the measured left atrial activation patterns after the adjustment of the bridges. For one patient, the simulated body surface potential (BSP) pattern after the adjustment correlated better to measured BSP maps. The results show that the fusion of intracardiac electrical measurements of early left atrial activation can be used to refine patient atria models with information of the myocardial structure which cannot be imaged. In future, such personalized atrial models may be used to support EP interventions.
G. Lenis, and O. Dössel. T wave morphology during heart rate turbulence in patients with chronic heart failure. In Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
Heart Rate Turbulence (HRT) is the distinctive response of the sinus rhythm of the heart to an isolated ventricular ectopic beat (VEB). The quantification of this process can be used to stratify the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with a history of acute myocardial infarction. A sensitivity of around 30% has been achieved in different studies. However, the large number of misleading results of the method suggests that new and better risk stratifiers could be developed. In this work, Holter ECG recordings were used to analyze the morphology of the T wave during the HRT in patients with chronic heart failure. The HRT was characterized by newly introduced parameters. In ad- dition, the comparison between normal T waves before and after the VEB showed small but significant changes in mor- phology. The morphological changes of the T wave could be used for diagnostic purposes.
C. Lenk, F. M. Weber, M. Bauer, M. Einax, G. Seemann, and P. Maass. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation caused by interaction of pacemakerwaves and reduced excitability: Insights from the Bueno-Orovio model adapted to atria. In Computing in Cardiology Conference (CinC), pp. 1079-1082, 2013
Abstract:
As possible cause for atrial fibrillation (AF) we study the influence of a reduced excitability on the interaction of pacemaker waves in the Bueno-Orovio model with parameters adapted to atrial electrophysiology (aBO). One of the two pacemakers represents the sinus node and the other one a self-excitatory source in the left atrium. The pacemakers are spatially separated and their waves get in contact via a small bridge. In previous studies based on the FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) model it was shown that three different types of irregular activation patterns can occur in this problem. In the aBO model adapted to physiological conditions only one type is observed because, different from the FHN model, a reduction of excitability due to high-frequency pacing does not occur. If the excitability is reduced in the aBO model, all types of irregularities are recovered and, in addition, a further type is found. Because transitions from regular to irregular behavior depend on the pacing frequency, our findings provide a possible explanation for the phenomenon of paroxysmal AF.
While human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) mutations N588K and K897T are associated with atrial fib- rillation (AF), the underlying arrhythmogenic mechanisms are understood only incompletely. In this work, an ap- proach integrating IKr measurement data from transgenic Xenopus oocytes into established computational models of cardiac electrophysiology is presented. Parameters are es- timated using a minimization formulation, which is handled by a hybrid particle swarm optimization (PSO) and trust- region-reflective (TRR) algorithm. Cell models adapted to the mutation measurements show a significantly shorter ac- tion potential (AP) with less pronounced spike-and-dome morphology. Results of single cell simulations compare with myocytes in chronic AF.
T. G. Oesterlein, M. W. Keller, S. Schuler, A. Luik, O. Dössel, G. Seemann, and C. Schmitt. Determination of local activation time in bipolar endocardial electrograms: a comparison of clinical criteria and a new method based on the non-linear energy operator. In Journal of Electrocardiology, vol. 46(4) , pp. e18, 2013
Abstract:
Local activation time (LAT) maps help to understand the path of electrical excitation in cardiac arrhythmias. They can be generated automatically from intracardiac electrograms using various criteria provided by commercial electroanatomical mapping systems. This study compares existing criteria and a novel method based on the non-linear energy operator (NLEO) with respect to their precision and robustness.
T. G. Oesterlein, A. Luik, C. Schmitt, and O. Dössel. Generating biatrial local activation time maps using the non-linear energy operator reveals arrhythmia. In Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
Simultaneous biatrial electroanatomical mapping was performed in a 54 year old woman using two 64-electrode basket catheters. Local activation time (LAT) maps were extracted retrospectively for single atrial excitations during sinus rhythm using the non-linear energy operator (NLEO). Considering both ampltiude and frequency information, the NLEO has shown to be a reliable estimator for the LAT. This paper presents an approach for creating biatrial LAT maps using the NLEO for single atrial excitations. The varying propagation pattern of individual beats reveals the presence and location of supraventricular extrasystoles.
M. Pfeifer, G. Lenis, and O. Dössel. A general approach for dynamic modeling of physiological time series. In Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
Dynamic modeling of physiological time series represents an auspicious approach in the arena of biomedical signal processing. This study illustrates a new methodology for identifying dynamic models that is based on stationary stochastic processes. The method is applied to time series extracted from the ECG. Simulations of the gained models yield physiologically plausible results.
N. Pilia, G. Lenis, and O. Dössel. Developing a robust method to delineate the P wave using information from intracardiac electrograms. In Biosignalverarbeitung und Magnetische Methoden in der Medizin. Proceedings BBS 2014, pp. 2, 2013
Abstract:
The correct detection of the P wave in the electrocardiogram (ECG) is very important for the evaluation of the atrial activity. The presented algorithm fusions intracardiac measurements and ECG data to detect P waves in the ECG. With this, it is possible to detect P waves simultaneously appearing with T waves and multiple P waves between two ventricular excitations.Die korrekte Erkennung der P-Welle im Elektrokardiogramm (EKG) ist äußerst wichtig zur Erkennung von Krankheiten in den Vorhöfen des Herzens. Hier soll ein Algorithmus vorgestellt werden, der die Informationen aus einer EKG-Messung und einer intrakardialen Messung der elektrischen Aktivität in den Vorhöfen kombiniert. Damit ist es möglich sowohl von T-Wellen überdeckte P-Wellen als auch mehrere P-Wellen zwischen zwei Kammeraktivierungen zu detektieren.
D. Potyagaylo, W. H. W. Schulze, and O. Dössel. Local regularization in the inverse problem of electrocardiography. In Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
The inverse problem of ECG is the task of cardiac source reconstruction from the measured body surface potential maps (BSPM). It is ill posed and therefore requires regularization, which is usually applied uniformly to the whole heart geometry. In order to improve the solution quality and localize potentials extrema we propose a local regularization method: the weighting is done iteratively according to the solution spatial content. The performed test showed the ability of the new method to overcome over smoothing and to better reconstruct strong solution gradients.
D. Potyagaylo, M. Segel, W. H. W. Schulze, and O. Dössel. Noninvasive Localization of Ectopic Foci: a New Optimization Approach for Simultaneous Reconstruction of Transmembrane Voltages and Epicardial Potentials. In FIMH, LNCS 7945, pp. 166-173, 2013
Abstract:
The goal of ECG imaging is the reconstruction of cardiac electrical activities from the potentials measured on the thorax sur- face. The tool can gain prominent clinical value for diagnosis and pre- interventional planning. The problem is however ill-posed, i.e. it is highly sensitive to modelling and measurement errors. In order to overcome this obstacle a regularization technique must be applied. In this paper we pro- pose a new optimization based method for simultaneous reconstruction of transmembrane voltages and epicardial potentials for localizing the origin of ventricular ectopic beats.Compared to second-order Tikhonov regularization, the new approach showed superior performance in marking activated regions and provided meaningful results where Tikhonov method failed.
J. Schmid, and O. Dössel. An electromagnetic simulation environment, to construct microwave imaging algorithms. In Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
This paper is about the construction of an ultra- wideband microwave (UWB) simulation environment and about the construction of a model of the human head in- cluding regions of stroke. It calculates the propagation of microwaves within a wide frequency range through biolog- ical tissues. The simulations will be used to guide the de- velopment of a new system for early detection of stroke with UWB. The simulation has to be as close as possible to the real physiological properties of human tissues including the dispersive effects.
S. Schuler, M. W. Keller, T. Oesterlein, O. Dössel, and G. Seemann. Influence of Catheter Orientation, Tissue Thickness and Conduction Velocity on the Intracardiac Electrogram. In Biomedical Engineering/Biomedizinische Technik, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
Intracardiac electrograms are essential for the diagnosis and treatment of various cardiac arrhythmias. To gain reliable information about structural alterations of underlying tissue, it is necessary to interpret these electrograms correctly. Therefore it has to be understood how other parameters influence the signal. Realistic 3D geometries were created and simulated using the bidomain model. Based on these simulations, the influences of catheter orientation, tissue thickness and conduction velocity on the amplitudes of intracardiac electrograms were evaluated.
ECG imaging is a non-invasive technique of characterizing the electrical activity and the corresponding excitation conduction of the heart using body surface ECG. The method may provide great opportunities in the planning of cardiac interventions and in the diagnosis of cardiac diseases. This work introduces an algorithm for the imaging of transmembrane voltages that is based on a Kalman filter with an augmented measurement model. In the latter, a regularization term is integrated as additional measurement. The filter is trained using a-priori-knowledge from a simulation model. Two effects are investigated: the influence of the training data on the reconstruction quality and the representation of a-priori knowledge in the trained covariance matrices. The proposed algorithm shows a promising quality of reconstruction and may be used in the future to introduce generic physiological knowledge in solutions of cardiac source imaging.
With ECG imaging it is possible to reconstruct cardiac electrical activity noninvasively from measurements of the electrocardiogram (ECG). To facilitate the recon- struction, an MRI- or CT- based model of the body is re- quired, which is represented as a volume conductor. A mathematically ill-posed problem is solved to reconstruct the cardiac sources from potentials collected on the body surface. To obtain a body surface potential map (BSPM) electrodes are ideally placed allover the entire thorax. In practical applications, however, the number of electrodes is limited and the placing is subject to constraints. We in- vestigate the effect of different electrode setups on the ill- posedness of the inverse problem. In particular, electrode setups are chosen to comply with constraints for female pa- tients in the catheter lab.
G. Seemann. Simulating the effects of drugs and genetic defects on atrial electrophysiology. In 7th TRM Forum on Computer Simulation and Experimental Assessment of Cardiac Function, 2013
O. Dössel, G. Seemann, M. Alvarez de Eulate, and D. U. J. Keller. Variation of human ventricular Iks heterogeneities to reconstruct measured multi-channel ECG data. In Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical Engineering, vol. 58(s1) , 2013
Abstract:
Heterogeeities of the ventricular electrophysiol- ogy play a major role in the generation of the T-wave mor- phology and amplitude. The exact way of the distribution of electrophysiological differences is not known. In this work, a numerical approach is presented in which the excitation propagation of different heterogeneity distributions of IKs are simulated and the multi-channel ECG is calculated. The ECG data are evaluated against measured ECGs. The most realistic configuration is a combination of transmural and apico-basal heterogeneity with 35% of Endo, 30% of M and 35% of Epi cells and an apico-basal gradient with a factor of 2. This specific setup has a correlation of around 90% and a root mean square error of around 0.0795.
T. Seidel, T. Dräbing, G. Seemann, and F. B. Sachse. A semi-automatic approach for segmentation of three-dimensional microscopic image stacks of cardiac tissue. In FIMS, LNCS 7945, pp. 300-307, 2013
Abstract:
The segmentation of three-dimensional microscopic images of car- diac tissues provides important parameters for characterizing cardiac diseases and modeling of tissue function. Segmenting these images is, however, chal- lenging. Currently only time-consuming manual approaches have been devel- oped for this purpose. Here, we introduce an efficient approach for the semi-automatic segmentation (SAS) of cardiomyocytes and the extracellular space in image stacks obtained from confocal microscopy. The approach is based on a morphological watershed algorithm and iterative creation of wa- tershed seed points on a distance map. Results of SAS were consistent with re- sults from manual segmentation (Dice similarity coefficient: 90.8±2.6%). Cell volume was 4.6±6.5% higher in SAS cells, which mainly resulted from cell branches and membrane protrusions neglected by manual segmentation. We suggest that the novel approach constitutes an important tool for characterizing normal and diseased cardiac tissues. Furthermore, the approach is capable of providing crucial parameters for modeling of tissue structure and function.
Body surface potential mapping (BSPM) can be used to non- invasively measure the electrical activity of the heart using a dense set of thorax electrodes and a CT/MR scan of the thorax to solve the inverse problem of electrophysiology (ECGi). This technique now shows potential clinical value for the assessment and treatment of patients with arrhythmias. Co-localisation of the electrode positions and the CT/MR thorax scan is essential. This manuscript describes a method to perform the co-localisation using multiple biplane X-ray images. The electrodes are automatically detected and paired in the X-ray images. Then the 3D positions of the electrodes are computed and mapped onto the thorax surface derived from CT/MR. The proposed method is based on a multi-scale blob detection algorithm and the generalized Hough transform, which can automatically discriminate the leads used for BSPM from other ECG leads. The pairing method is based on epi-polar constraint matching and line pattern detection which assumes that BSPM electrodes are arranged in strips. The proposed methods are tested on a thorax phantom and two clinical cases. Results show an accuracy of 0.33 ± 0.20mm for detecting electrodes in the X-ray images and a success rate of 95.4%. The automatic pairing method achieves a 91.2% success rate.
A. Q. Abbasi, W. Aziz, S. Saeed, I. Ahmed, and L. Hussain. Comparative study of multiscale entropy analysis and symbolic time series analysis when applied to human gait dynamics. In International Conference on Open Source Systems and Technologies, pp. 126-132, 2013
Abstract:
The chronological vacillations in the stride to stride interval provide a noninvasive method to assess the influence of malfunction of human gait and its alterations with disease and age. To extract information from the human stride interval, various complexity analysis techniques have been proposed. In the present study, the comparison of two recently developed complexity analysis methodologies: multiscale entropy (MSE) and symbolic entropy (SyEn) has been made. These techniques were applied to stride interval time series data of human gait walking at normal and metronomically paced stressed conditions. Wilcoxon-rank-sum test (Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon (MWW) test) was used to find the significant difference between the groups. For each method of analysis, parameters were adjusted to optimize the separation of the groups. The symbolic entropy method provided maximum separation at wide range of threshold values and this measure was found to be more robust for analyzing the human gait data as compared to multiscale entropy in the presence of dynamical and observational noise. The results of this study can have implication modeling physiological control mechanism and for quantifying human gait dynamics in physiological and stressed conditions.
Die Erfindung betrifft eine ophthalmologische Vorrichtung, aufweisend – ein Leistungsmodul zum Bereitstellen von Leistung für ein ophthalmologisches Handstück, – ein Sicherheitsmodul zum Begrenzen der Leistung, wobei das Sicherheitsmodul mit dem Leistungsmodul gekoppelt ist, – eine Kopplungseinheit zum Ankoppeln des Handstückes, wobei die Kopplungseinheit mit dem Sicherheitsmodul oder Leistungsmodul gekoppelt ist, – einen Informationsgeber, welcher eine Information über den Status der Kopplungseinheit abgibt und mit dem Sicherheitsmodul verbunden ist.
W. Nahm. Arrangement and method for quantitatively determining the blood flow within blood vessels. United States Patent, 2013.
Abstract:
An arrangement quantitatively determines the blood flow within blood vessels through which blood flows in a volume of a tissue defining a surface. Three-dimensional first image data of a first volume portion of the volume is detected and optical second image data is detected continuously in time of a first surface portion of the surface. A calibrating unit of the arrangement calibrates the relative value of the flow speed and/or the volumetric flow of the blood flowing through the blood vessels disposed directly below the first surface portion based on the absolute values of the flow speed and/or of the volumetric flow of the blood. An output unit outputs the absolute values of the flow speed and/or the volumetric flow of the blood flowing through the blood vessels arranged directly below the first surface portion.
W. Nahm, and H.-J. Miesner. Anordnung und Verfahren zur Registrierung von Gewebeverschiebungen. WIPO, 2013.
M. W. Krüger. Personalized Multi-Scale Modeling of the Atria : Heterogeneities, Fiber Architecture, Hemodialysis and Ablation Therapy. KIT Scientific Publishing. Dissertation. 2013
Abstract:
This book targets three fields of computational multi-scale cardiac modeling. First, advanced models of the cellular atrial electrophysiology and fiber orientation are introduced. Second, novel methods to create patient-specific models of the atria are described. Third, applications of personalized models in basic research and clinical practice are presented. The results mark an important step towards the patient-specific model-based atrial fibrillation diagnosis, understanding and treatment.
M. Wilhelms. Multiscale Modeling of Cardiac Electrophysiology: Adaptation to Atrial and Ventricular Rhythm Disorders and Pharmacological Treatment. KIT Scientific Publishing. Dissertation. 2013
Abstract:
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Furthermore, acute cardiac ischemia is one of the most common causes of death. Therefore, an early diagnosis and effective therapy are essential. However, the mechanisms responsible for the initiation and maintenance of arrhythmias, as well as the effects of pharmacological treatment on cardiac electrophysiology are not completely understood yet.Therefore, multiscale modeling of cardiac electrophysiology as presented in this thesis helps to better understand the responsible mechanisms. First, methods for the integration of medical measurement data into models of cardiac electrophysiology are introduced. Different models of human atrial and ventricular myocytes were adapted to chronic and familial AF, acute cardiac ischemia and pharmacological treatment. The resulting effects were investigated in multiscale simulations ranging from the ion channel up to the body surface.The presented simulations are an important step towards the understanding and improvement of the diagnosis and pharmacological therapy of AF and acute cardiac ischemia.
Student Theses (14)
A. Loewe. Arrhythmic potency of human electrophysiological models adapted to chronic and familial atrial fibrillation. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Masterarbeit. 2013
Y. Lutz. Specific antiarrhythmic therapy for familial atrial fibrillation in a numerical model of human atrial electrophysiology. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Bachelorarbeit. 2013
Abstract:
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia affecting approximately 1% of the population. In general, AF is associated with other cardiac diseases, such as congestive heart failure. However, some patients do not suffer from these comorbidities. Instead, mutations of specific genes have been observed and are supposed to predispose those patients to AF (familial AF). Several anti-arrhythmic agents, which are used in treatment of AF, exist. However, the efficacy of these drugs can still be improved particularly with respect to familial AF. Therefore, the mechanisms of action of these agents have to be better understood and still can be optimized.The aim of this work is to integrate the effects of amiodarone and dronedarone two common anti-arrhythmic drugs - into a model of atrial electrophysiology. Their impact on physiological atrial myocytes, as well as myocytes affected by several mutations shall be investigated.Furthermore, an ideal drug for each mutation shall be identified in terms of reverting electrophysiological parameters to their physiological values on the cellular and tissue level. For this purpose, an appropriate optimization algorithm needs to be designed and implemented.Finally, a comparison of the pharmacological agents and their impact on healthy and mutated tissue shall be carried out.
E. Mascarenas Marsal. Design of Fourier-Based Filters and ECG Templates for Inverse Electrocardiographic Imaging of Patients with Bigeminy. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). . 2013
R. Menges. Selecting the best rhythmical and morphological features for a QRS complex classification system. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Bachelorarbeit. 2013
F. Motzki. Evaluierung moderner Ultraschall-Beamforming-Verfahren. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Diplomarbeit. 2013
N. A. Pilia. A robust method to detect and characterise the P wave in the electrocardiogram. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Bachelorarbeit. 2013
E. Poremba. Implementation of a fast simulation C++ framework for the computation of vulnerability to artial arrhythmias using the Fast Marching Algorithm. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Bachelorarbeit. 2013
C. Ritter. Design and Implementation of an Unscented Kalman Filter for Inverse Electrocardiographic Imaging. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Bachelorarbeit. 2013
M. Rottmann. Methods for simulation based estimation of parameters of the electrical excitation propagation in human atria. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Masterarbeit. 2013
M. Segel. Improving ECG imaging combined regularization in extracellular space and the space of transmembrane voltages. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Bachelorarbeit. 2013
M. Soltan Abady. Repräsentation von Gewebeveränderungen im intrakardialen Elektrogramm - eine Simulationsstudie. Institut für Biomedizinische Technik, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). Masterarbeit. 2013
Abstract:
In dieser Simulationsstudie wurden Simulationen von unterschiedlichen Fibrosegeometrien innerhalb des Myokards durchgeführt. Es wurden mögliche Ursachen für die Entstehung von CFAEs simuliert. Diese sind kammförmige, diffuse und fleckenartige fibrotische Bereiche, nebeneinanderliegende Muskelfasern und kollidierenden Wellenfronten.Zum Vergleich der simulierten Signale mit klinischen Daten wurden alle Signale gefiltert. Nach der klinischen Filterung wurden die positiven und negativen Peaks symmetrischer und glatter.Die kammförmigen fibrotischen Elemente wurden erzeugt, um besser die Eigenschaften von fibrotischen Bereichen zu verstehen. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass je dichter und größer die fibrotischen Elemente sind, desto langsamer ist die globale Ausbreitungsgeschwindigkeit. Dieses Ergebnis stimmt mit den Ergebnissen von Jacquemet et. al überein.
J. L. Tischer. Entwicklung und Aufbau einer Messhardware zur Erfassung von extrazellulären Potenzialen an vitalem Myokardgewebe. Institut für Biomedizinische Technik, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). Diplomarbeit. 2013
L. J. Tischer. Entwicklung einer automatisierten Messeinrichtung zur MEMS-basierten Flowmessung. Institut für Biomedizinische Technik, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). . 2013
J. Wingerter. Model Generation for Automatic Myocardium Segmentation. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Diplomarbeit. 2013