SPOT-Cardio: Integrated Application for AI-Powered Automated Myocardial Scar Quantification on Joint Bright- and Black-Blood Late Gadolinium Enhancement MRI Images
<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is a key tool for diagnosing cardiovascular disease, but its analysis remains time-consuming and dependent on expert interpretation, which can limit throughput and reproducibility. To address these challenges, we aim to develop an automated solution that streamlines CMR post-processing, enabling consistent, rapid, and quantitative assessment of cardiac structures and myocardial pathology. <b>Methods:</b> We introduce SPOT-Cardio, an AI-powered imaging analysis toolbox based on a 2D breath-held late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging technology: SPOT. This acquisition combines BR- and BL-LGE images in a single scan, allowing simultaneous capture of high-contrast scar information and detailed cardiac anatomy. Using the resulting CMR images, deep learning models (based on 2D U-Net or MedFormer) were trained to segment cardiac structures and myocardial scars. The trained models and associated image-processing algorithms were then integrated into the open-source medInria platform and specifically within its cardiac-focused MUSICardio application. <b>Results:</b> SPOT-Cardio enables automatic segmentation of cardiac structures and myocardial scars, performs landmark-based regional localization, and extracts key biomarkers such as scar volume, extent, and transmurality. The resulting quantitative measures are presented in standardized bullseye plots accompanied by detailed clinical reports. <b>Conclusions:</b> With a one-click workflow and intuitive visualization, SPOT-Cardio reduces manual workload and supports more accessible and consistent cardiovascular assessment. By integrating advanced image acquisition with AI-based automation, it provides a practical and efficient solution for streamlined and quantitative CMR analysis.
Authors
- Mathilde Merle
- Matthias Stuber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9843-2028)
- Hubert Cochet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7772-5331)
- Thompson Richard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6616-5384)
- Édouard Gerbaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4669-3562)
- Aurélien Bustin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2845-8617)
- Maxime Sermesant (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6256-8350)
- Kun He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3481-8499)
- Victor de Villedon de Naide (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2453-3060)
- Kalvin Narceau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7919-0023)
- Thaïs Génisson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3661-6356)
Institutions
- Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique (FR)
- Université de Bordeaux (FR)
- Inserm (FR)
- Université Côte d'Azur (FR)
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux (FR)
- Hôpital Cardiologique du Haut-Lévêque (FR)
- Centre d'Imagerie BioMedicale (CH)
- Hôpital Xavier Arnozan (FR)
- University of Lausanne (CH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Published
- 2025-11-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14238428
- Primary Topic
- Cardiac Imaging and Diagnostics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00