Systems and methods for processing electronic images

A method for processing images of a patient, the method comprising:

• receiving, using at least one computer system, patient-specific image data of at least a portion of at least one vessel of a patient;
• determining, using the at least one computer system, a patient-specific geometric model of a geometry of a first vessel portion of a patient's vessel, the patient-specific geometric model being generated based on the received patient-specific image data;
• determining, using the at least one computer system, fluid dynamics equations governing blood flow through the patient-specific geometric model of the geometry of the first vessel portion of the patient's vessel;
• determining, using the at least one computer system, a lower-order patient-specific model of blood flow through a second vessel portion, the second vessel portion corresponding to a second vessel of the patient and/or a second portion of the patient's vessel, the lower-order patient-specific model having fewer dimensions than the patient-specific geometric model, the lower-order patient-specific model being associated with one or more fluid dynamics equations;
• and
• determining, using the at least one computer system, a value of a characteristic of blood flow through the first vessel portion and/or the second vessel portion by implicit closed-loop coupling and solving both the fluid dynamics equations governing blood flow through the patient-specific geometric model and the fluid dynamics equations of the lower-order patient-specific model of blood flow through the second vessel portion.

A system for processing images of a patient, the system comprising:

• a data storage device storing instructions for performing a method of determining cardiovascular information for a patient;
• and
• a processor configured to execute the instructions including:
• receiving patient-specific image data of at least a portion of at least one vessel of a patient;
• determining a patient-specific geometric model of a geometry of a first vessel portion of a patient's vessel, the patient-specific geometric model being generated based on the received patient-specific image data;
• determining, using the at least one computer system, fluid dynamics equations governing blood flow through the patient-specific geometric model of the geometry of the first vessel portion of the patient's vessel;
• determining a lower-order patient-specific model of blood flow through a second vessel portion, the second vessel portion corresponding to a second vessel of the patient and/or a second portion of the patient's vessel, the lower-order patient-specific model having fewer dimensions than the patient-specific geometric model, the lower-order patient-specific model being associated with one or more fluid dynamics equations;
• and
• determining a value of a characteristic of blood flow through the first vessel portion and/or the second vessel portion by implicit closed-loop coupling and solving both the fluid dynamics equations governing blood flow through the patient-specific geometric model and the fluid dynamics equations of the lower-order patient-specific model of blood flow through the second vessel portion.

A non-transitory computer readable medium for use on a computer system containing computer-executable programming instructions for performing a method of processing images of a patient, the method comprising:

• receiving, using at least one computer system, patient-specific image data of at least a portion of at least one vessel of a patient;
• determining, using the at least one computer system, a patient-specific geometric model of a geometry of a first vessel portion of a patient's vessel, the patient-specific geometric model being generated based on the received patient-specific image data;
• determining, using the at least one computer system, fluid dynamics equations governing blood flow through the patient-specific geometric model of the geometry of the first vessel portion of the patient's vessel;
• determining, using the at least one computer system, a lower-order patient-specific model of blood flow through a second vessel portion, the second vessel portion corresponding to a second vessel of the patient and/or a second portion of the patient's vessel, the lower-order patient-specific model having fewer dimensions than the patient-specific geometric model, the lower-order patient-specific model being associated with one or more fluid dynamics equations;
• and
• determining, using the at least one computer system, a value of a characteristic of blood flow through the first vessel portion and/or the second vessel portion by implicit closed-loop coupling and solving both the fluid dynamics equations governing blood flow through the patient-specific geometric model and the fluid dynamics equations of the lower-order patient-specific model of blood flow through the second vessel portion.