Multimodal Image Processing Software to Guide Cardiac Ablation Therapy

MIGAT will develop and transfer software tools to assist ablation therapy of cardiac arrhythmias. The scientific background and objectives of MIGAT differ between atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, because the knowledge on structure-function relationships and the definition of ablation targets are different. Hypothesis: The combination of body surface mapping and imaging will enable a comprehensive non-invasive assessment of cardiac arrhythmia mechanisms and localization, myocardial structural substrate, and cardiac anatomy, all of which should be of value to better define targets for ablation therapy. No software solution is currently available for multimodal data processing, fusion, and integration in 3-dimensional mapping systems to assist ablation. Because such a development requires a trans-disciplinary approach (cardiac electrophysiology, imaging, computer sciences), it is likely to emerge from an academic initiative. Objectives: MIGAT will gather resources from the Liryc Institute (L'Institut de Rythmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque), the Inria (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique) and the University Hospital of Bordeaux to develop a computer-based solution with high expected impact on the daily management of cardiac electrical disorders. The research program will benefit from the MUSIC (Magnetom Avanto, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) equipment recently funded as part of the "Investissement d'Avenir" program, and combining state-of-the-art electrophysiology and magnetic resonance imaging technology. MIGAT will involve software engineers, computer science researchers, cardiologists, radiologists and clinical research personnel with the following objectives: * Development of a multimodal data processing software to assist cardiac ablation * Optimization and Validation of the software in terms of user experience * Optimization and Validation of the software in terms of clinical performance * Optimization of software quality compatib