Engineering Commons^™

Anatomy-Based Transmission Factors For Technique Optimization In Portable Chest X-Ray, Chris L. Liptak, W. Paul Segars, Ashraf G. Morgan, Frank F. Dong, Xiang Li

Undergraduate Research Posters 2014

Currently, portable x-ray examinations do not employ automatic exposure control (AEC). To aid in the design of a size-specific technique chart, acrylic slabs of various thicknesses are often used to estimate x-ray transmission factors for patients of various body thicknesses. This approach, while simple, does not account for patient anatomy, tissue heterogeneity, and the attenuation properties of the human body. To better account for these factors, in this work, we determined x-ray transmission factors using computational patient models that are anatomically realistic. A Monte Carlo program was developed to model a portable x-ray system. Detailed modeling was done of the …

Noninvasive Quantification Of Fluid Mechanical Energy Losses In The Total Cavopulmonary Connection With Magnetic Resonance Phase Velocity Mapping, Anand K. Venkatachari, Sandra S. Halliburton, Randolph M. Setser, Richard D. White, George P. Chatzimavroudis

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

A major determinant of the success of surgical vascular modifications, such as the total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC), is the energetic efficiency that is assessed by calculating the mechanical energy loss of blood flow through the new connection. Currently, however, to determine the energy loss, invasive pressure measurements are necessary. Therefore, this study evaluated the feasibility of the viscous dissipation (VD) method, which has the potential to provide the energy loss without the need for invasive pressure measurements. Two experimental phantoms, a U-shaped tube and a glass TCPC, were scanned in a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging scanner and the images were …

Segmentation Of Non-Viable Myocardium In Delayed Enhancement Magnetic Resonance Images, Arunark Kolipaka, George P. Chatzimavroudis, Richard D. White, Thomas P. O’Donnell, Randolph M. Setser

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Purpose: To evaluate six algorithms for segmenting non-viable left ventricular (LV) myocardium in delayed enhancement (DE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Twenty-three patients with known chronic ischemic heart disease underwent DE-MRI. DE images were first manually thresholded using an interactive region-filling tool to isolate non-viable myocardium. Then, six thresholding algorithms, based on the image intensity characteristics of either LV blood pool (BP), viable LV myocardium, or both, were applied to each image. For the Mean−2SD_BP algorithm, thresholds were equal to the mean BP intensity minus twice its standard deviation. For the Mean+2SD_Semi, Mean+3SD_Semi, Mean+2SD_{Auto …}

Clinical Blood Flow Quantification With Segmented K-Space Magnetic Resonance Phase Velocity Mapping, George P. Chatzimavroudis, Haosen Zhang, Sandra S. Halliburton, James R. Moore, Orlando Simonetti, Paulo R. Schvartzman, Arthur E. Stillman, Richard D. White

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

To evaluate the accuracy of segmented k-space magnetic resonance phase velocity mapping (PVM) in quantifying aortic blood flow from through-plane velocity measurements.

Two segmented PVM schemes were evaluated, one with seven lines per segment (seg-7) and one with nine lines per segment (seg-9), in twenty patients with cardiovascular disease. A non-segmented (non-seg) PVM acquisition was also performed to provide the reference data.

There was agreement between the aortic flow curves acquired with segmented and non-segmented PVM. The calculated systolic and total flow volume per cycle from the seg-7 and the seg-9 scans correlated and agreed with the flow volumes from …

In Vivo Flow Dynamics Of The Total Cavopulmonary Connection From Three-Dimensional Multislice Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Shiva Sharma, Ann E. Ensley, Katherine Hopkins, George P. Chatzimavroudis, Timothy M. Healy, Vincent K.H. Tam, Kirk R. Kanter, Ajit P. Yoganathan

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background. The total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) design continues to be refined on the basis of flow analysis at the connection site. These refinements are of importance for myocardial energy conservation in the univentricular supported circulation. In vivo magnetic resonance phase contrast imaging provides semiquantitative flow visualization information. The purpose of this study was to understand the in vivo TCPC flow characteristics obtained by magnetic resonance phase contrast imaging and compare the results with our previous in vitro TCPC flow experiments in an effort to further refine TCPC surgical design.

Methods. Twelve patients with TCPC underwent sedated three-dimensional, multislice …

Fluid Mechanic Assessment Of The Total Cavopulmonary Connection Using Magnetic Resonance Phase Velocity Mapping And Digital Particle Image Velocimetry, Ann E. Ensley, Agnès Ramuzat, Timothy M. Healy, George P. Chatzimavroudis, Carol Lucas, Shiva Sharma, Roderic Pettigrew, Ajit P. Yoganathan

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

The total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) is currently the most promising modification of the Fontan surgical repair for single ventricle congenital heart disease. The TCPC involves a surgical connection of the superior and inferior vena cavae directly to the left and right pulmonary arteries, bypassing the right heart. In the univentricular system, the ventricle experiences a workload which may be reduced by optimizing the cavae-to-pulmonary anastomosis. The hypothesis of this study was that the energetic efficiency of the connection is a consequence of the fluid dynamics which develop as a function of connection geometry. Magnetic resonance phase velocity mapping (MRPVM) and …

Mri Techniques For Cardiovascular Imaging, Roderic I. Pettigrew, John N. Oshinski, George P. Chatzimavroudis, W. Thomas Dixon

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Over the last several years, cardiovascular MRI has benefited from a number of technical advances which have improved routine clinical imaging techniques. As a result, MRI is now well positioned to realize its longstanding promise of becoming the comprehensive cardiac imaging test of choice in many clinical settings. This may be achieved using a combination of basic advanced techniques. In this overview, the basic cardiac MRI techniques which are clinically useful are reviewed, and the recent technical advances which are clinically promising are described. These advances include routine black blood and cine bright blood techniques that are high speed (slice), …

Toward Designing The Optimal Total Cavopulmonary Connection: An In Vitro Study, Ann E. Ensley, Patricia Lynch, George P. Chatzimavroudis, Carol Lucas, Shiva Sharma, Ajit P. Yoganathan

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background. Understanding the total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) hemodynamics may lead to improved surgical procedures which result in a more efficient modified circulation. Reduced energy loss will translate to less work for the single ventricle and although univentricular physiology is complex, this improvement could contribute to improved postoperative outcomes. Therefore to conserve energy, one surgical goal is optimization of the TCPC geometry. In line with this goal, this study investigated whether addition of caval curvature or flaring at the connection conserves energy.

Methods. TCPC models were made varying the curvature of the caval inlet or by flaring the anastomosis. …

Quantification Of Mitral Regurgitation With Mr Phase-Velocity Mapping Using A Control Volume Method, George P. Chatzimavroudis, John N. Oshinski, Roderic I. Pettigrew, Peter G. Walker, Robert H. Franch, Ajit P. Yoganathan

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Reliable diagnosis and quantification of mitral regurgitation are important for patient management and for optimizing the time for surgery. Previous methods have often provided suboptimal results. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate MR phase-velocity mapping in quantifying the mitral regurgitant volume (MRV) using a control volume (CV) method. A number of contiguous slices were acquired with all three velocity components measured. A CV was then selected, encompassing the regurgitant orifice. Mass conservation dictates that the net inflow into the CV should be equal to the regurgitant flow. Results showed that a CV, the boundary voxels of …

Slice Location Dependence Of Aortic Regurgitation Measurements With Mr Phase Velocity Mapping, George P. Chatzimavroudis, Peter G. Walker, John N. Oshinski, Robert H. Franch, Roderic I. Pettigrew, Ajit P. Yoganathan

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Although several methods have been used clinically to assess aortic regurgitation (AR), there is no “gold standard” for regurgitant volume measurement. Magnetic resonance phase velocity mapping (PVM) can be used for noninvasive blood flow measurements. To evaluate the accuracy of PVM in quantifying AR with a single imaging slice in the ascending aorta, in vitro experiments were performed by using a compliant aortic model. Attention was focused on determining the slice location that provided the best results. The most accurate measurements were taken between the aortic valve annulus and the coronary ostia where the measured (Y) and actual …

The Influence Of Acoustic Impedance Mismatch On Post-Stenotic Pulsed-Doppler Ultrasound Measurements In A Coronary Artery Model, S. A. Jones, H. Leclerc, George P. Chatzimavroudis, Y. H. Kim, N. A. Scott, Ajit P. Yoganathan

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Acoustic impedance mismatch at the fluid-wall interface was shown to affect the spectra from an intravascular Doppler device in an in vitro model with a diameter typical of human coronary arteries. Measurements were obtained first under Poiseuille flow conditions with impedance mismatches of 0%, 7% and 12%, and then under stenosed conditions for the 0% and 7% mismatch cases. For the zero mismatch case, the Doppler spectra could be readily interpreted in terms of fluid mechanical phenomena. When mismatch was present, the spectra from Poiseuille flow exhibited multiple peaks which could not be directly related to the velocity profile. Also, …