This software package is for an automatic heart phantom development purpose. Once the user defines a set of parameters and selects a Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) data set, the software can generate segmented models of the heart envelope, muscle, coronaries and left ventricle automatically, and output the results as 3D renderings. The models can be saved either as volumetric data or as surface mesh data.

Currently, some digital heart phantoms, such as NCAT/XCAT phantoms, are available and have made important contributions to the field of medical image modeling. However, for most of the existing heart phantoms, the resolution is too low for realistic PTCA and CTA simulation and the coronary arteries are usually missing. To overcome the limitations of existing phantoms, this software presents a platform for building high resolution cardiac/coronary artery phantoms for imaging and dosimetry simulations. Since heart phantoms constructed with this software will be anatomically realistic, the associated pathology can also be modeled much more accurately and realistically. For example, different sized vessel stenoses can be synthesized and inserted at different locations in the coronary tree. In addition to the segmentation, the software provides a set of model manipulation tools, such as stenosis synthesis, volume addition and subtraction, mesh generation and skeleton extraction, so that the user can modify and analyze the model data easily. One can even model the detailed morphology of an atherosclerotic plaque in terms of its lipid core, surrounding matrix, and the overlying fibrous cap.

The website from which the source code, executables and user guide may be obtained (without charge) is http://code.google.com/p/hades/   

Please address any questions or suggestions to Dr. Aldo Badano at 301-796-2534 or [email protected] 

 

---

Disclaimer: This software and documentation (the "Software") were developed for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through research fellowships from the Federal Government. Pursuant to Title 17, Section 105 of the United States Code, this work is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of the Software, to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, or sell copies of the Software or derivatives, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so. FDA assumes no responsibility whatsoever for use by other parties of the Software, its source code, documentation or compiled executables, and makes no guarantees, expressed or implied, about its quality, reliability, or any other characteristic. Further, use of this code in no way implies endorsement by the FDA or confers any advantage in regulatory decisions. Although this software can be redistributed and/or modified freely, we ask that any derivative works bear some notice that they are derived from it, and any modified versions bear some notice that they have been modified.