Christopher Schilling

Personalization of Atrial Anatomy and Electrophysiology as a Basis for Clinical Modeling of Radio-Frequency Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

Multiscale cardiac modeling has made great advances over the last decade. Highly detailed atrial models were created and used for the investigation of initiation and perpetuation of atrial fibrillation. The next challenge is the use of personalized atrial models in clinical practice. In this study, a framework of simple and robust tools is presented, which enables the generation and validation of patient-specific anatomical and electrophysiological atrial models. Introduction of rule-based atrial fiber orientation produced a realistic excitation sequence and a better correlation to the measured electrocardiograms. Personalization of the global conduction velocity lead to a precise match of the measured P-wave duration. The use of a virtual cohort of nine patient and volunteer models averaged out possible model-specific errors. Intra-atrial excitation conduction was personalized manually from left atrial local activation time maps. Inclusion of LE-MRI data into the simulations revealed possible gaps in ablation lesions. A fast marching level set approach to compute atrial depolarization was extended to incorporate anisotropy and conduction velocity heterogeneities and reproduced the monodomain solution. The presented chain of tools is an important step towards the use of atrial models for the patient-specific AF diagnosis and ablation therapy planing.

Conduction Velocity Restitution of the Human Atrium—An Efficient Measurement Protocol for Clinical Electrophysiological Studies

Conduction velocity (CV) and CV restitution are important substrate parameters for understanding atrial arrhythmias. The aim of this work is to (i) present a simple but feasible method to measure CV restitution in-vivo using standard circular catheters, and (ii) validate its feasibility with data measured during incremental pacing. From five patients undergoing catheter ablation, we analyzed eight datasets from sinus rhythm and incremental pacing sequences. Every wavefront was measured with a circular catheter and the electrograms were analyzed with a cosine-fit method that calculated the local CV. For each pacing cycle length, the mean local CV was determined. Furthermore, changes in global CV were estimated from the time delay between pacing stimulus and wavefront arrival. Comparing local and global CV between pacing at 500 and 300 ms, we found significant changes in seven of eight pacing sequences. On average, local CV decreased by 20 ± 15% and global CV by 17 ± 13%. The method allows for in-vivo measurements of absolute CV and CV restitution during standard clinical procedures. Such data may provide valuable insights into mechanisms of atrial arrhythmias. This is important both for improving cardiac models and also for clinical applications, such as characterizing arrhythmogenic substrates during sinus rhythm.

Wave-Direction and Conduction-Velocity Analysis From Intracardiac Electrograms–A Single-Shot Technique

Atrial arrhythmias, such as atrial flutter or fibrillation, are frequent indications for catheter ablation. Recorded intracardiac electrograms (EGMs) are, however, mostly evaluated subjectively by the physicians. In this paper, we present a method to quantitatively extract the wave direction and the local conduction velocity from one single beat in a circular mapping catheter signal. We simulated typical clinical EGMs to validate the method. We then showed that even with noise, the average directional error was below 10^ and the average velocity error was below 5.4 cm/s. In a realistic atrial simulation, the method could clearly distinguish between stimuli from different pulmonary veins. We further analyzed eight clinical data segments from three patients in normal sinus rhythm and with stimulation. We obtained stable wave directions for each segment and conduction velocities between 70 and 115 cm/s. We conclude that the method allows for easy quantitative analysis of single macroscopic wavefronts in intracardiac EGMs, such as during atrial flutter or in typical clinical stimulation procedures after termination of atrial fibrillation. With corresponding simulated data, it can provide an interface to personalize electrophysiological (EP) models. Furthermore, it could be integrated into EP navigation systems to provide quantitative data of high diagnostic value to the physician.

A new approach for automated location of active segments in intracardiac electrograms

Areas in atrium tissue with complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs) are among others responsible for the maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Those areas are ideal target sites for ablation to eliminate AFib and restore normal rhythm. An automated identification of CFAEs with signal processing algorithms is essential to develop an objective strategy for AFib ablation. This paper introduces a new approach to locate signal complexes corresponding to electrophysiological activity. The idea behind this algorithm is based on the idea of Pan-Tompkins’ QRS-detection algorithm. However in this approach, the extracted signal feature is the signal energy and therefore the algorithm takes into account not only information of the frequency but also of the amplitude.With adaptive thresholding the algorithm is capable to manage changes in the signal dynamics. The results were validated by experts and the algorithm shows a robust performance.

A framework for personalization of computational models of the human atria

A framework for step-by-step personalization of a computational model of human atria is presented. Beginning with anatomical modeling based on CT or MRI data, next fiber structure is superimposed using a rule-based method. If available, late-enhancement-MRI images can be considered in order to mark fibrotic tissue. A first estimate of individual electrophysiology is gained from BSPM data solving the inverse problem of ECG. A final adjustment of electrophysiology is realized using intracardiac measurements. The framework is applied using several patient data. First clinical application will be computer assisted planning of RF-ablation for treatment of atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation.

Non-Linear Energy Operator for the Analysis of Intracardial Electrograms

The curative therapy of atrial fibrillation (AF) is still challenging. Although the electrophysiologists know many strategies to cure AF, the underlying mechanisms are still mostly unknown. Also the optimal ablation strategy for paroxysmal and long-lasting persistent AF is not known. Complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs) are becoming more and more important in the ablation strategies, especially for longlasting persistant AF. Automated detection and signal analysis of CFAEs is essential in supporting the physicians during the ablation procedure. The robust algorithm to locate CFAEs presented in the contribution by Nguyen, Schilling and Dossel delivers a good bases for postprocessing and signal analysis of CFAEs. It is employing a non-linear energy operator combined with thresholding. In this paper this new algorithm is tested on clinical data and compared to clinically accepted algorithms.

Comparing measured and simulated wave directions in the left atrium - a workflow for model personalization and validation.

Abstract Atrial arrhythmias are frequently treated using catheter ablation during electrophysiological (EP) studies. However, success rates are only moderate and could be improved with the help of personalized simulation models of the atria. In this work, we present a workflow to generate and validate personalized EP simulation models based on routine clinical computed tomography (CT) scans and intracardiac electrograms. From four patient data sets, we created anatomical models from angiographic CT data with an automatic segmentation algorithm. From clinical intracardiac catheter recordings, individual conduction velocities were calculated. In these subject-specific EP models, we simulated different pacing maneuvers and measurements with circular mapping catheters that were applied in the respective patients. This way, normal sinus rhythm and pacing from a coronary sinus catheter were simulated. Wave directions and conduction velocities were quantitatively analyzed in both clinical measurements and simulated data and were compared. On average, the overall difference of wave directions was 15° (8%), and the difference of conduction velocities was 16 cm/s (17%). The method is based on routine clinical measurements and is thus easy to integrate into clinical practice. In the long run, such personalized simulations could therefore assist treatment planning and increase success rates for atrial arrhythmias.

Fuzzy decision tree to classify complex fractionated atrial electrograms

Abstract Catheter ablation has emerged as an effective treatment strategy for atrial fibrillation (AF) in recent years. During AF, complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAE) can be recorded and are known to be a potential target for ablation. Automatic algorithms have been developed to simplify CFAE detection, but they are often based on a single descriptor or a set of descriptors in combination with sharp decision classifiers. However, these methods do not reflect the progressive transition between CFAE classes. The aim of this study was to develop an automatic classification algorithm, which combines the information of a complete set of descriptors and allows for progressive and transparent decisions. We designed a method to automatically analyze CFAE based on a set of descriptors representing various aspects, such as shape, amplitude and temporal characteristics. A fuzzy decision tree (FDT) was trained and evaluated on 429 predefined electrograms. CFAE were classified into four subgroups with a correct rate of 81±3%. Electrograms with continuous activity were detected with a correct rate of 100%. In addition, a percentage of certainty is given for each electrogram to enable a comprehensive and transparent decision. The proposed FDT is able to classify CFAE with respect to their progressive transition and may allow objective and reproducible CFAE interpretation for clinical use.

Extracting Clinically Relevant Circular Mapping and Coronary Sinus Catheter Potentials from Atrial Simulations

Patient-specific model adaptation and validation requires a comparison of simulations with measured patient data. For patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, such data is mainly available as intracardiac catheter signals. In this work, we demonstrate the simulation of clinically relevant catheter data as measured using circular mapping catheters (such as Lasso® or Orbiter®) and coronary sinus catheters using atrial simulations on a realistic geometry. Four circular catheters are modeled using a projection technique for two distinct types of application. We show that in sinus rhythm, the choice of a distinct electrophysiological model does not impair the signal quality. Finally, we compare simulated potentials to a real clinical measurement. In the future, with patient-specific models available, such comparisons can constitute an important interface for personalizing cardiac models.

A new approach for frequency analysis of complex fractionated atrial electrograms

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Areas in atrial tissue with complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs) are among others responsible for the maintenance of AFib. Those areas are ideal target sites for ablation to eliminate AFib and restore sinus rhythm. As CFAEs are associated with high fibrillatory frequency, automated identification of CFAEs with spectral analysis helps developing objective strategies for AFib ablation. While the application of current techniques is restricted, this paper introduces a new approach to determine characteristic frequencies during AFib. By using Teagers energy operator we calculate the signal envelope and study its spectrum after Fast Fourier Transformation. Harmonic analysis of distinctive peaks in the power spectrum is carried out to assess characteristic frequencies of a CFAE. While the currently available methods only find one dominant frequency in the spectrum of the signal, our method is capable to find multiple characteristic frequencies, if present. Since it is believed that during AFib the atrium is activated by one or multiple wavelets, our method opens new opportunities for investigation of multiple wavelets propagation.