科學家已經設計出一種使用計算機判斷左心房或者左心室狀況的方法。計算機從X線影像上勾勒出心臟形狀，從心腔壁運動狀況來判斷心臟功能。既往描繪心臟輪廓都是手工完成的。而新方法技術不僅精確而且省時省力。

在進行心臟導管插入手術時，必須得到冠狀動脈和左側心腔（心房與心室）的X線影像。從這些影像的心室壁運動情況來判斷心臟的情況，通常都是描繪出心腔在血液最大充盈時相與最小充盈時相的輪廓來完成的。從這些結果就可以判斷出心臟的總體功能，以及局部的心腔壁的運動情況。

但是手工描繪心臟輪廓是一項相當耗時的過程，并且由于不同觀察者之間的許多差異而影響最終結論。荷蘭Leiden大學醫學中心（Leiden University Medical Center，Leiden，The Netherlands）的研究人員設計了一個統計學模型，并將其應用到了軟件之中。

使用該軟件的時候，通過簡短的人機對話，操作者手工定義主動脈位置以及心臟的最低點，然后計算機就自動描繪心臟循環兩個時相的輪廓。然后得出心腔壁局部運動情況與心臟總體功能。這些信息對于醫生做出正確診斷具有極其重要的意義，同時也是進行冠狀動脈搭橋術的外科醫生所必需的。

根據這項研究，Medis醫學影像系統公司(Leiden, The Netherlands)研發了這項應用軟件系統，該公司也參與了這項研究項目。

Computer Determines Heart Problems From X-Ray Images

Scientists have developed a way in which a computer can read the condition of the left heart chamber or ventricle. The computer sketches the shape of the heart on the x-ray images, and from the wall motion it determines the heart’s condition. Heart contours had to previously been drawn by hand. The new technique appears to be accurate and saves time.

Scientists have developed a way in which a computer can read the condition of the left heart chamber or ventricle. The computer sketches the shape of the heart on the x-ray images, and from the wall motion it determines the heart’s condition. Heart contours had to previously been drawn by hand. The new technique appears to be accurate and saves time.

During a cardiac catheterization procedure, radiographs of the coronary arteries and of the left heart chamber are obtained. The condition of the heart can be determined by assessing the wall motion of the ventricle from these images, which is typically done by outlining the contours of the heart chamber at the maximal filling phase of the heart chamber with blood and at the minimal filling phase. From these results, the overall function of the heart can be determined, as well as the regional wall motion.

Sketching the contours of the heart, however, is a time-consuming process, which is also hindered by a large number of variabilities between observers. The researchers, from Leiden University Medical Center (Leiden, The Netherlands), created a statistical model that was then translated into a software application.

After a little interaction from the user with the manual definition of the aorta position and the lowest point of the heart, the computer automatically determines the contours in these two phases of the cardiac cycle. Then, the regional wall motion and the global function of the heart are derived. This information is of great significance for the correct diagnosis by the physicians and is also utilized by the surgeons in cases of bypass operations.

Based on this study, a software application has been developed by Medis Medical Imaging Systems (Leiden, The Netherlands), which also participated in the study.