Optimized Signal Processing of Fetal MCG

描述（由申请人提供）：虽然可用于成人应用的诊断技术数量持续增长，但适用于胎儿评估的技术仍然缺乏。特别是，胎儿电生理学的非侵入性评估还没有常规可能。然而，在过去的几年里，我们和其他研究小组已经证明了胎儿心磁图（fMCG）作为一种新的评估胎儿心律失常的方法的有效性，包括其提供超声无法提供的关键信息的能力。在此成功的基础上，我们建议开发技术，以进一步提高快速消费品的信号分辨率，并将其适用性扩展到其他患者人群，包括患有先天性心脏病和心力衰竭和猝死风险增加的胎儿。 本研究的两个主要目标是：1）通过研究新的信号处理方法来提高fMCG波形分量的分辨率和孕早期信号检测率，从而提高fMCG作为胎儿节律评估的诊断工具的功效。这将通过以下方式实现：“实施独立分量分析（伊卡）算法以将胎儿信号与母体和环境干扰分离“开发计算胎儿心率描记和估计fMCG的时空特征的新方法，基于粒子滤波的概念，“利用超声成像来估计fMCG正向解，其可用于开发数据无关波束形成器2）确定与心律失常、先天性心脏病、水肿和其他高危疾病胎儿的次优结局相关的磁生理学标志物。这将通过以下方式实现：开发技术以提高T波异常的检测准确性，包括“微伏-T波交替”，其将不利的心率和节律模式（如T波交替、PR和ST段移位、无反应性和低心率变异性）与各种高危妊娠状况的结果相关联。该研究的目标是：1）开发新技术，以提高胎儿心磁图作为评估胎儿心律失常、先天性心脏病、水肿和其他高危疾病的诊断工具的有效性; 2）识别与次优结局和胎儿猝死风险相关的磁生理学标志物。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While the number of diagnostic technologies available for adult applications continues to grow, there remains a paucity of technologies suitable for fetal evaluation. In particular, noninvasive assessment of fetal electrophysiology has not been routinely possible. In the last few years, however, we and other groups have demonstrated the efficacy of fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) as a new method of evaluating fetal arrhythmia, including its ability to provide critical information unavailable from ultrasound. Building on this success, we propose here to develop techniques to further improve the signal resolution of fMCG and to extend its applicability to other patient populations, including fetuses with congenital heart disease and increased risk of heart failure and sudden death. The two main goals of the research are: 1) to improve the efficacy of fMCG as a diagnostic tool for fetal rhythm assessment by investigating new signal processing methods to increase the resolution of fMCG waveform components and the signal detection rate at early gestational ages. This will be accomplished by: "implementing independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms to separate the fetal signal from maternal and environmental interference " developing new methods of computing fetal heart rate tracings and estimating the spatiotemporal characteristics of the fMCG, based on the concept of particle filtering " utilizing ultrasound imaging to estimate an fMCG forward solution that can be used to develop a data- independent beamformer 2) to identify magnetophysiological markers associated with suboptimal outcome in fetuses with arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, hydrops, and other high-risk conditions. This will be accomplished by: developing techniques to improve the detection accuracy of T-wave abnormalities, including "microvolt-T-wave alternans" correlating ominous heart rate and rhythm patterns, such as T-wave alternans, PR- and ST-segment shifts, nonreactivity, and low heart rate variability, with outcome in various high-risk pregnancy conditions. The goals of the research are 1) to develop new techniques to improve the efficacy of fetal magnetocardiography as a diagnostic tool for assessment of fetuses with arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, hydrops, and other high-risk conditions, and 2) to identify magnetophysiological markers associated with suboptimal outcome and risk of sudden fetal demise.