Systems, methods, and devices for medical image analysis, diagnosis, risk stratification, decision making and/or disease tracking

A computer-implemented method of tracking a plaque-based disease based on non-invasive medical image analysis of a medical image of a subject to determine a state of plaque progression of the subject, the method comprising:

• accessing, by a computer system, a first set of plaque parameters and a first set of vascular parameters associated with a subject, wherein the first set of plaque parameters and the first set of vascular parameters are derived from a first medical image of the subject comprising one or more regions of plaque, wherein the first medical image of the subject is obtained non-invasively at a first point in time, wherein the first set of plaque parameters comprises a volume, surface area, heterogeneity index, geometry, location and density of one or more regions of plaque from the medical image of the subject at the first point in time, and wherein the first set of vascular parameters comprises one or more measures of narrowing or remodeling of a vasculature at the first point in time;
• generating, by the computer system, a first weighted measure of the accessed first set of plaque parameters and the first set of vascular parameters;
• accessing, by the computer system, a second medical image of the subject, wherein the second medical image of the subject is obtained non-invasively at a second point in time, the second point in time being later than the first point in time, wherein the second medical image of the subject comprises the one or more regions of plaque;
• identifying, by the computer system, the one or more regions of plaque from the second medical image;
• determining, by the computer system, a second set of plaque parameters and a second of vascular parameters associated with the subject by analyzing the one or more regions of plaque from the second medical image, wherein the second set of plaque parameters comprises a volume, surface area, heterogeneity index, geometry, location and density of the one or more regions of plaque at the second point in time, and wherein the second set of vascular parameters comprises one or more measures of narrowing or remodeling of the vasculature at the second point in time;
• generating, by the computer system, a second weighted measure of the determined second set of plaque parameters and the second set of vascular parameters;
• analyzing, by the computer system, a change between the first weighted measure of the accessed first set of plaque parameters and the first set of vascular parameters and the second weighted measure of the determined second set of plaque parameters and the second set of vascular parameters;
• determining, by the computer system, a state of plaque progression associated with a plaque-based disease for the subject based at least in part on the analyzed change between the first weighted measure of the accessed first set of plaque parameters and the first set of vascular parameters and the second weighted measure of the determined second set of plaque parameters and the second set of vascular parameters, wherein the determined state of plaque progression comprises one or more of rapid plaque progression, non-rapid plaque progression, plaque stabilization, plaque destabilization, or plaque regression;
• and
• tracking, by the computer system, progression of the plaque-based disease based at least in part on the determined state of plaque progression,
• wherein the computer system comprises a computer processor and an electronic storage medium.

A system for tracking a plaque-based disease based on non-invasive medical image analysis of a medical image of a subject to determine a state of plaque progression of the subject, the system comprising:

• one or more computer readable storage devices configured to store a plurality of computer executable instructions;
• and
• one or more hardware computer processors in communication with the one or more computer readable storage devices and configured to execute the plurality of computer executable instructions in order to cause the system to:
• access a first set of plaque parameters and a first set of vascular parameters associated with a subject, wherein the first set of plaque parameters and the first set of vascular parameters are derived from a first medical image of the subject comprising one or more regions of plaque, wherein the first medical image of the subject is obtained non-invasively at a first point in time, wherein the first set of plaque parameters comprises one or more of a gradient or mathematical transformation of volume or surface area, heterogeneity index, geometry, location or density of one or more regions of plaque from the medical image of the subject at the first point in time, and wherein the first set of vascular parameters comprises one or more measures of narrowing or remodeling of a vasculature at the first point in time;
• generate a first weighted measure of the accessed first set of plaque parameters and the first set of vascular parameters;
• access a second medical image of the subject, wherein the second medical image of the subject is obtained non-invasively at a second point in time, the second point in time being later than the first point in time, wherein the second medical image of the subject comprises the one or more regions of plaque;
• identify the one or more regions of plaque from the second medical image;
• determine a second set of plaque parameters and a second set of vascular parameters associated with the subject by analyzing the one or more regions of plaque from the second medical image, wherein the second set of plaque parameters comprises one or more of a gradient or mathematical transformation of volume and surface area, heterogeneity index, geometry, location or density of the one or more regions of plaque at the second point in time, and wherein the second set of vascular parameters comprises one or more measures of narrowing or remodeling of the vasculature at the second point in time;
• generate a second weighted measure of the determined second set of plaque parameters and the second set of vascular parameters;
• analyze a change between the first weighted measure of the accessed first set of plaque parameters and the first set of vascular parameters and the second weighted measure of the determined second set of plaque parameters and the second set of vascular parameters;
• determine a state of plaque progression associated with a plaque-based disease for the subject based at least in part on the analyzed change between the first weighted measure of the accessed first set of plaque parameters and the first set of vascular parameters and the second weighted measure of the determined second set of plaque parameters and the second set of vascular parameters, wherein the determined state of plaque progression comprises one or more of increase in plaque density, decrease in plaque density, stabilization of plaque density, increase in vascular size, decrease in vascular size, or stabilization of vascular size;
• and
• track progression of the plaque-based disease based at least in part on the determined state of plaque progression.