Fetal XCMR

Fetal XCMR simulates maternal and fetal cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) data by modifying extended Cardiac-Torso models to generate anatomically and physiologically realistic phantom datasets for development and validation of fetal CMR acquisition and reconstruction methods.

Key Features:

• Anatomical modeling: Modifies extended Cardiac-Torso models to create detailed maternal and fetal anatomical structures.
• Motion simulation: Integrates maternal respiratory and fetal motion patterns into the combined anatomy to reproduce dynamic conditions.
• CMR contrast mapping: Maps anatomical structures to appropriate CMR contrasts to emulate tissue signals and contrast fidelity.
• Data conversion: Converts simulated anatomies and contrasts into CMR data for reconstruction and analysis.
• Reconstruction support: Supports static, real-time, and CINE (cardiac cine) reconstruction methods for simulated datasets.
• Motion estimation techniques: Implements translational motion estimation and fetal heart rate analysis for motion handling.
• Multiplanar simulation: Applies simulations and motion estimation across transverse, sagittal, coronal, and short-axis planes.
• Validation metrics: Enables assessments of image quality, anatomical accuracy, tissue signals, and contrast fidelity via comparisons with in utero CMR.
• Scan parameter realism: Incorporates typical scan parameters from pregnant women and matches motion and noise levels to realistic conditions.

Scientific Applications:

• Acquisition and reconstruction validation: Allows development and validation of fetal CMR acquisition and reconstruction techniques using realistic simulated data.
• Algorithm benchmarking: Provides ground-truth phantoms for quantitative benchmarking of reconstruction and motion-correction algorithms.
• Motion estimation evaluation: Enables evaluation of translational motion and fetal heart rate analysis methods across multiple imaging planes.
• Contrast and signal assessment: Facilitates comparison of simulated and in utero tissue signals and contrast fidelity for sequence and protocol assessment.
• Dynamic visualization: Supports visualization and comparison of maternal respiratory motion and fetal cardiac dynamics in simulated and experimental datasets.

Methodology:

Modify extended Cardiac-Torso models to create maternal and fetal anatomical structures, integrate them with simulated motion patterns, map structures to CMR contrasts, convert to CMR data, incorporate scan parameters and matched motion/noise levels from pregnant women, apply motion estimation (translational and fetal heart rate analysis) and perform static, real-time, and CINE reconstructions across transverse, sagittal, coronal, and short-axis planes, then compare phantom outputs to in utero CMR assessing image quality, anatomical accuracy, tissue signals, and contrast fidelity.