Epicardial motion and deformation estimation from coronary artery bifurcation points

A special problem in nonrigid motion analysis, the problem of estimating the motion and deformation of the human heart, is addressed. The research has been conducted on the left ventricle 3-D data of the bifurcation points, obtained within the period of one cardiac cycle. The process of the motion analysis is divided into three phases: global motion estimation, global motion compensation, and local deformation estimation. The global motion of the left ventricle is determined using the estimated principal axes over successive time instants. Upon compensation for the global motion, the local deformation is analyzed utilizing the correspondence of individual bifurcation points over the period of the cardiac cycle via tensor analysis. Finally, in order to better understand the complex nature of the left ventricle movement, several scientific visualization techniques are exploited to view the dynamic deformation of the left ventricle surface.