Congratulations to inventors Subhi Al’Aref and Kedar Jambhekar on the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,582,374 B2, titled Personalized Motion-Gated Coronary CTA Scanning Systems and Methods. This patented technology introduces a personalized, artificial intelligence-guided approach to coronary computed tomography angiography, or coronary CTA, designed to improve image acquisition by aligning scans with the actual mechanical motion of a patient’s heart.
Coronary CTA is an important non-invasive imaging tool for evaluating coronary artery disease, but traditional workflows often rely on electrocardiogram, or ECG, gating to estimate when the heart is in a quieter phase of motion. Because ECG gating is based on electrical activity rather than the heart’s mechanical movement, image acquisition may not always occur when cardiac motion is truly minimized. Conventional methods may also require heart-rate-lowering medications, adding preparation time and limiting use in patients with arrhythmias or contraindications to those medications.
The patented system addresses these challenges by using four-dimensional CT imaging to directly assess the mechanical motion of the heart. It identifies a patient-specific target position associated with mechanical diastole, when the myocardium is least moving and positioned for optimal image acquisition. Machine-learning models then predict future timeframes when the heart is expected to return to that target position, allowing the CT scanner to acquire images during personalized windows of reduced cardiac motion.
By shifting from electrical-signal-based timing to motion-based, patient-specific scan guidance, the technology has the potential to reduce motion-related artifacts, improve diagnostic image quality, and expand access to coronary CTA for patients who may be difficult to image using conventional ECG-gated methods. The system may also update and refine its predictions during scanning, supporting more reliable imaging in patients with irregular heart rhythms.
In addition to guiding image acquisition, the patented technology describes the use of predicted mechanical motion timeframes to support contrast agent administration. Aligning contrast timing with individualized imaging windows may help capture coronary images at diagnostically meaningful moments while supporting more efficient clinical workflows, including in emergency, arrhythmia, and pediatric cardiac imaging settings.
BioVentures congratulates Dr. Al’Aref and Dr. Jambhekar on this patent issuance and recognizes their work in developing an innovative, patient-specific approach to advancing coronary CTA imaging.
Inventors
Subhi Al’Aref, M.D., Interventional Cardiologist at UAMS Medical Center.
Kedar Jambhekar, M.D., Diagnostic Radiologist at UAMS Medical Center.
