Minimally invasive surgical methods make operations much more comfortable for heart patients. Princeton researcher Dr. Bogdan Georgescu (40) is working to improve state-of-the-art imaging processes that make such operations possible. Thanks to Georgescu’s inventions, Siemens is now one of the first companies in the world to offer medical imaging systems that automatically produce 3D computer models of patients’ hearts. The new algorithms used here can also simulate blood flow as a fourth-dimension feature, which enables physicians to better align treatment methods with the needs of individual patients.

The heart is a complex organ in which valves, ventricles, atria, vessels, blood inflow and outflow need to operate in harmony. Over the last few years, Siemens researchers at Corporate Technology (CT) in Princeton, New Jersey in the U.S. have developed special programs that make possible new visualization and guidance techniques, which physicians can use for diagnosis, therapy planning or during operations. The algorithms have learned to interpret image content by identifying specific organ attributes on the basis of huge amounts of data. This ability enables them to detect whether a heart ventricle contracts synchronously or if a heart valve hasn’t closed properly, for example. Georgescu has been a member of the algorithm development team for eight years. A native of Romania, Georgescu studied electrical engineering and telecommunications at the University of Bucharest. During his studies he became interested in image processing. “I wanted to conduct further research in that field. That’s why I went to the U.S. after completing my Master’s degree,” he explains. After arriving in America, he began studying computer science at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

His course of study included an internship at Siemens CT in Princeton, where he gained initial experience with medical imaging systems. He quickly became fascinated with this field and was hired by Siemens as a researcher immediately after obtaining his degree. Among other things, Georgescu has invented a method for analyzing aneurysms using numerical flow simulation. Aneurysms are balloon-like bulges on arterial walls that can cause life-threatening internal bleeding if they rupture. Georgescu and his colleagues used high-resolution image data to create precise 3D models of aneurysms and the flow of blood through them. Physicians who find an aneurysm need to decide whether or not an operation needs to be performed. Georgescu’s research showed that the likelihood of a rupture depends on factors related to the attributes of the blood vessel wall, which in turn influence blood flow properties. In other words, the individualized 3D depiction of an aneurysm provides doctors with important information that helps them with their decisions.

Georgescu has been conducting research on heart image processing for the past eight years or so. His approach involves “feeding” his software huge amounts of data that allow the system to learn which attributes it needs to analyze in order to be able to identify different parts of the heart. This is not an easy process because heart trouble can occur in many different areas. “Thanks to our close cooperation with Siemens’ Healthcare Sector, we now have enough data to generate the amount of ‘learning material’ the software needs in order to recognize the anatomical points of reference in the heart,” Georgescu explains. “If we then add in the blood flow simulation, we can show exactly what the patient’s heart looks like and how it’s functioning.” This feature will make it possible to align treatments with patients’ needs much more closely in the future because it makes diagnoses more precise and allows doctors to better evaluate the results of individual therapeutic approaches.

Georgescu is also working in the Siemens Translational Biotechnology research project on the development of decision-making aids for personalized medicine. More specifically, he’s attempting to combine biomechanical and electrophysiological models coupled with molecular data to create a system that can predict how the heart will react to specific surgical procedures and to provide a tool for optimal therapy for the specific patient Georgescu has registered 133 inventions since joining Siemens CT as a researcher. He is also responsible for 43 individual patents in 81 patent families.

Georgescu has two boys, and his wife is expecting a third son. Between family and work, he now has little time for sports, which is one of his great passions: Among other things, Georgescu played professional handball for 13 years. “At some point, though, I decided I needed to focus fully on my scientific career, so I quit handball,” he explains. These days, he plays tennis, reads, and likes to go to the movies.