The world’s first atlas of the human heart offers a Google Earth-like view of the inside of the organ, scientists say.
The amazing technology allows viewers to see healthy and diseased hearts in “unprecedented detail”.
Experts hope that the technology will be “invaluable” in improving understanding of cardiovascular disease and “accelerating” medical treatment in this area.
“The atlas we have created is like Google Earth for the human heart,” said lead study author Professor Peter Lee, from UCL’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.
“This will allow us to view the entire organ at a global scale, and then zoom in to ground level to view cardiovascular features in unprecedented detail.
“Being able to image an entire organ in this way reveals details and connections that weren’t visible before.”
The study, published in the journal Radiology, provides a map of the human heart, capturing the organ’s entire anatomy in detail down to 20 micrometres – half the width of a human hair.
In certain areas, imaging down to the cellular level is being carried out.
It shows two whole adult hearts in 3D: one healthy and one diseased.
The research team hopes that this technology will “facilitate research into both healthy and diseased hearts that has not previously been possible.”
“Understanding the anatomy and connections” could improve treatment options for arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and create more realistic models for surgical training, the researchers added.
Professor Lee said: “One of the great advantages of this technique is that it provides a complete 3D image of the organ, which is about 25 times better than clinical CT scanners.”
Viagra saves life of baby born with half a heart
“In addition, we can zoom in on selected areas down to the cellular level, allowing us to see the same details as we see under a microscope, but 250 times more accurately, without having to cut into the sample.”
Professor Andrew Cook, a cardiac anatomist at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of London, and author of the study, added: “With today’s technology it is very difficult to accurately interpret the anatomical structures underlying pathologies such as arrhythmias.”
“Therefore, there is great potential for new treatments to emerge using the imaging techniques we have demonstrated here.
“We believe our findings will help researchers understand the development of heart rhythm abnormalities and the effectiveness of ablation strategies to treat them.”
“For example, we now have a way to determine differences in the thickness of the tissue and fat layer between the outer surface of the heart and the protective sac that surrounds it, which could have implications for treating arrhythmias.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.
Ischemic heart disease, which weakens the heart due to reduced blood flow, accounted for 8.9 million deaths worldwide in 2019, or 16% of all deaths, a figure that has increased by more than 2 million since 2000.
Clinicians typically use imaging techniques such as ultrasound, CT and MRI to diagnose cardiovascular disease, but these techniques do not provide detailed structural information about what is happening inside the organ.
To achieve this, organs need to be sliced into thin sections and scanned, severely limiting the field of view.
In recent years, a type of particle accelerator called a synchrotron has been used to develop new imaging techniques that overcome these limitations.
Although synchrotron studies of whole fetuses and small animal hearts have been published, these have always been at a scale much smaller than the major organs in adults.
This is the only place in the world where whole adult organs can be imaged with such high contrast.
Paul Tafforello
In the study, scientists from UCL and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) used an X-ray technique called hierarchical phase-contrast tomography (HiP-CT) to image two entire adult hearts at a scale of 20 micrometres, providing a comprehensive, detailed 3D picture of the entire organ.
Detailed imaging of the cardiac conduction system, which generates and transmits the electrical signals that drive the pumping action of the heart muscle, is one example of how this research will impact cardiovascular medicine, the authors say.
While imaging the two hearts is an important milestone for cardiovascular medicine, the researchers added that many more hearts need to be studied to understand differences across people, taking into account differences in age, sex, ethnicity and disease progression.
The two hearts were imaged at the ESRF in Grenoble, France, which is home to the world’s most bright X-ray source.
One case was from a 63-year-old man with no history of heart disease, and the other was from an 87-year-old woman with a history of ischemic heart disease, high blood pressure, and atrial fibrillation.
It is not possible to image the heart of a living person this way because the radiation dose is too high.
Mega Data
“When I first saw the heart with HiP-CT, I was amazed at how clearly the soft tissues, which are invisible in conventional X-ray images, were visible,” said Dr Joseph Brunet, lead study author from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London and visiting scientist at ESRF.
“This is possible because of the way phase-contrast x-rays interact with these tissues and the high energy that ESRF can generate to penetrate entire organs.”
However, this solution is not without challenges.
Imaging each heart generated 10 terabytes of data, one million times more than a standard CT scan.
Study author Paul Tafforeau from ESRF, who invented the HiP-CT technique, said: “The ESRF beamline facility is currently the only place in the world where we can image whole adult human organs with such high contrast, and we are still far from the limits of the technology.”
“The main limiting factor is the processing of the very large data generated by HiP-CT.”
An exhibition of the Cardiac Atlas and the technology behind it will be free to the public at ‘The Wonders’ at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre on 19 July as part of the UCL Engineering Festival.
How to keep your heart healthy
Having a top-notch heart is essential to living a long, healthy life.
Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your heart because it helps reduce risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and stress.
The NHS recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking or water aerobics, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, such as running, every week.
But you’ll be happy to hear that exercise isn’t the only accepted way to keep your heart in tip-top shape.
From joining a book club to eating nuts, a cardiologist shares his top tips for keeping your heart healthy with health journalist Lucy Gonal.
Dr Gosia Wamil, consultant cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, said:
Be a social person – Even if it’s not for fun, keep socializing for your heart health. Take a minute to rest – Mindfulness has been linked to mental health, but there’s evidence that it also benefits heart health by controlling blood pressure. Garden – You might not like running or cycling, but why not try gardening? Taking care of plants can help you look after your cardiovascular health. Variety Wins – We all know we should eat five different foods a day, but experts say we should aim to eat 30 different plant foods a week. This includes fruits, vegetables, herbs, and legumes like lentils, nuts, and seeds. Sexy Time – It’s like exercise, but it’s a lot more fun. Experts say that sex can have a huge impact on your cardiovascular health, both in the short and long term. Decaffeinated drinks – Excess caffeine is bad for your cardiovascular health, so try switching to decaffeinated drinks. Eat nuts – Nuts may be small, but they’re super good for your heart. Studies have shown that eating nuts regularly can reduce levels of inflammation associated with heart-related diseases.