Model generator for cardiological diseases

[0017]The “model” involves a three-dimensional or four-dimensional representation of the organ to be examined such as the heart for example. With the four-dimensional model, information about the time or functional information is additionally included, such as pump information of the heart for example, blood pressure conditions and / or blood flow directions (e.g. in relation to the heart valves) or information about the blood speed. If the organ to be examined does not involve the heart, other functional variables can be recorded in relation to the respective organ, such as the sampling of bile etc for example. With a four-dimensional model relating to the heart, EKG information or further parameters in relation to the time can also be integrated for example. The model is patient-specific and covers a number of modalities. The model is additionally a graphical representation of different image datasets (which have been acquired from different modalities) and which will be integrated into a model. The model serves to make the examination easier for the doctor and will be presented at a user interface as a graphical 3D representation.

[0025]In accordance with an advantageous development of an embodiment of the present invention there is provision, in the (three-dimensional) representation and / or in the calculated model for further image datasets to be able to be fitted in—even retrospectively. This enables follow-up examinations to be integrated into a simple manner into the previously created patient-specific model and the doctor can thus easily obtain an overview of all examinations previously undertaken.

[0026]In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, there is provision for the creation of the contour lines to be undertaken automatically. As an alternative or in addition to this it is however possible at any time for the user to adapt the automatically-generated contour line manually. This enables errors and consequential errors to be avoided. The user is also given a suggestion for creating the contour lines that he can accept, modify or reject.

It is evident that this work requires a high degree of care and that there should be a way of excluding errors, since in some cases this can have life-threatening results for the patient.

Practice shows however that in the current prior art method errors can unfortunately not be excluded, since the plurality of individual findings obtained imposes an enormous demand on the doctor.

In practice the difficulty now confronting the examining doctor is that of combining or merging the image datasets provided by the different modalities.