Prediction of myocardial blood flow under stress conditions by means of a computational model. Journal Article

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Authors: Di Gregorio, S; Vergara, C; Pelagi, GM; Baggiano, A; Zunino, P; Guglielmo, M; Fusini, L; Muscogiuri, G; Rossi, A; Rabbat, MG; Quarteroni, A; Pontone, G
Article Title: Prediction of myocardial blood flow under stress conditions by means of a computational model.
Abstract: PURPOSE: Quantification of myocardial blood flow (MBF) and functional assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) can be achieved through stress myocardial computed tomography perfusion (stress-CTP). This requires an additional scan after the resting coronary computed tomography angiography (cCTA) and administration of an intravenous stressor. This complex protocol has limited reproducibility and non-negligible side effects for the patient. We aim to mitigate these drawbacks by proposing a computational model able to reproduce MBF maps. METHODS: A computational perfusion model was used to reproduce MBF maps. The model parameters were estimated by using information from cCTA and MBF measured from stress-CTP (MBF) maps. The relative error between the computational MBF under stress conditions (MBF) and MBF was evaluated to assess the accuracy of the proposed computational model. RESULTS: Applying our method to 9 patients (4 control subjects without ischemia vs 5 patients with myocardial ischemia), we found an excellent agreement between the values of MBF and MBF. In all patients, the relative error was below 8% over all the myocardium, with an average-in-space value below 4%. CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot work demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the proposed computational model in reproducing MBF under stress conditions. This consistency test is a preliminary step in the framework of a more ambitious project which is currently under investigation, i.e., the construction of a computational tool able to predict MBF avoiding the stress protocol and potential side effects while reducing radiation exposure.
Journal Title: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING
Publisher: Unknown  
Date Published: 2022