Validation study of a 3D-QCA coronary reconstruction method using a hybrid intravascular ultrasound and angiography reconstruction method and patient-specific Fractional Flow Reserve data

The estimation of the severity of coronary lesions is of utmost importance in today´s clinical practice, since Cardiovascular diseases often have fatal consequences. The most efficient method to estimate the severity of a lesion is the calculation of the Fractional Flow Reserve. The necessary use of a pressure wire, however, makes this method invasive and strenuous for the patient. In this work, we present a novel 3-Dimensional Quantitative Coronary Analysis coronary reconstruction method and a framework for the computation of the virtual Functional Assessment Index (vFAI). In a dataset of 5 coronary arterial segments, we use the aforementioned method to reconstruct them in 3D, and compare them to the respective 3D models reconstructed from our already validated hybrid IVUS-angiography reconstruction method [2]. The obtained results indicate a high correlation between the two methods in terms of the calculated FFR values, presenting a difference of 3.19% in the worst case scenario. Furthermore, when compared to the actual FFR values that derive from a pressure wire, the differences were statistically insignificant.