Three-dimensional fusion of Shear Wave Imaging and electro-anatomical mapping for intracardiac radiofrequency ablation monitoring

Electroanatomical Mapping (EAM) provides electrophysiologists with a three-dimensional visualization of endocardial geometry and electrical activity, used to guide transcatheter ablation (TCA) treatment of arrhythmia. Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) and Shear Wave Imaging (SWI) are ultrasonic methods of imaging the mechanical properties of the myocardium that may allow direct visualization of ablation lesion formation, and can be acquired with Intracardiac Echocardiography (ICE) imaging catheters, which are commonly used to guide TCA. The mechanical substrate mapping holds promise to complement the electrical data to improve the safety and efficacy of the procedure. This work demonstrates the use of an image fusion system to stitch a series of in vivo planar ARFI or SWI images together into a 3-D volume of substrate elasticity.