Anatomically informed GREIT reconstruction: improving EIT imaging for lung monitoring

<i>Objective.</i>Time-difference electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is gaining widespread use for bedside lung monitoring in intensive care patients suffering from lung-related diseases. It involves collecting voltage measurements from electrodes placed on the patient's thorax, which are then used to reconstruct impedance images. This study investigates how incorporating anatomical information from CT data into the widely used Graz consensus reconstruction algorithm affects EIT (GREIT) images and improves their interpretability.<i>Approach.</i>Based on clinically motivated lung state scenarios, we simulated EIT measurements to assess how the GREIT parameters influence the result of EIT image reconstruction, particularly with respect to noise performance and image accuracy. We introduce quality measures that allow us to perform a quantitative assessment of reconstruction quality. We incorporate the anatomical features of a patient from CT data by customizing the background conductivity and the distribution of GREIT training targets.<i>Main results.</i>Our analysis confirmed that unphysiological background conductivity assumptions can lead to misleading EIT images, whereas physiological values, although more accurate, come with higher noise sensitivity. By increasing the number of GREIT training targets inside the lung and adapting the respective weighting radius, we significantly improved the anatomical accuracy of the EIT images. When applied to clinical EIT data from a representative acute respiratory distress syndrome patient, these adjustments in the reconstruction setup substantially enhanced the interpretability of the resulting EIT images.<i>Significance.</i>Incorporating CT-based anatomical data in the GREIT reconstruction significantly enhances the clinical applicability of EIT in lung monitoring. The improved interpretability of EIT images facilitates better-informed clinical decisions and the individualized adjustment of ventilation strategies for critically ill patients.