Model based estimation of left ventricle motion

A model based estimation algorithm is presented for the analysis of left ventricle motion and deformation over a cardiac cycle. This model based approach allows the authors to decouple a nonlinear and complex estimation problem into simple and well structured sub-problems. They identify the global motion as the relative position and orientation change of the left ventricle as a whole and model its shape as a tapered ellipsoid. A recursive algorithm is developed by incorporating the modeling primitive into the estimation procedure. This recursive algorithm produces a good estimate of the global motion and left ventricle shape even when the given bifurcation points are unevenly distributed. Upon compensation for the global motion, a tensor analysis based approach is introduced to parameterize the localized deformation of left ventricle surface.