Computational anatomy atlas of the heart

A computational anatomy atlas of the heart has been built for the main purposes of patient-specific functional analysis and electromechanics simulations. The atlas is composed of an underlying statistical shape model, based on a Point Distribution Model (PDM), which was constructed from a training set comprising 100 asymptomatic and pathologic subjects. A key advantage of the proposed building procedure is the needless of manual delineations. Another one is the use of Multi-Slice Computed Tomography (MSCT) images, which have an excellent spatial resolution. Both, inter-subject and temporal variability were captured with the inclusion of all available time frames of each 4-D (3-D + time) image. Embedded in the shape model, a number of functional structures and properties have been incorporated to the atlas, such as myocardial fiber orientation, specialized electrical conduction pathways in the ventricles and atria, a set of anatomical landmarks, and the coronary venous and arterial trees. While numerous potential improvements are planed for the future, the atlas is already workable for FEMbased simulations of ventricular electrophysiology and cardiac functional analysis.