B. Zhang et al., Noninvasive assessment method to determine the anatomic compatibility of an implantable artificial heart system, ASAIO J, 46(5), 2000, pp. 590-595
To assess the anatomic compatibility of an artificial heart (AH), we attemp
ted to develop a computer environment that would facilitate a reliable simu
lation of an AH implanted in the human thorax. A three-dimensional thoracic
computer model with a ventricle-resected heart was constructed, by using m
anually extracted contour points of the aorta, pulmonary artery, atria, atr
ioventricular valves, diaphragm, and thoracic wall from a set of consecutiv
e CT images. Such a model enabled simulation of an AH implantation by orien
ting the AH model in it. Error evaluation on CT imaging and contour extract
ion with a Plexiglas cylindrical phantom showed that the diameter of the ex
tracted phantom contour was approximately 2 mm smaller than its original wi
th a standard deviation of < 0.5 mm. Errors in contour and surface reconstr
uction could be reduced to far less than 1 mm under constrained conditions.
A study on the influence of breathing revealed that variations in some tho
racic dimensions between inspiration and expiration could reach 10 mm. In s
ummary, computer simulation of AH implantation is a worthwhile approach wit
h acceptable accuracy, although further considerations of extreme thoracic
situations will be required.