A 3D reconstruction of vascular structures from two X-ray angiograms using an adapted simulated annealing algorithm

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the vessel lumen from two angiographic views, based on the reconstruction of a series of cross-sections, is proposed. Assuming uniform mixing of contrast medium and background subtraction, the cross-section of each vessel is reconstructed through a binary representation. A priori information about both the slice to be reconstructed and the relationships between adjacent slices are incorporated to lessen ambiguities on the reconstruction. Taking into account the knowledge of normal vessel geometry, an initial solution of each slice is created using an elliptic model-based method. This initial solution is then deformed to be made consistent with projection data while being constrained into a connected realistic shape. For that purpose, properties on the expected optimal solution are described through a Markov random field. To find an optimal solution, a specific optimization algorithm based on simulated annealing is used. The method performs well both on single vessels and on branching vessels possessing an additional inherent ambiguity when viewed at oblique angles. Results on 2D slice independent reconstruction and 3D reconstruction of a stack of spatially continuous 2D slices are presented for single vessels and bifurcations.

Geometrically correct 3-D reconstruction of intravascular ultrasound images by fusion with biplane angiography-methods and validation

“…While Evans et al [40] neglected axial catheter rotations completely, the iterative methods of Pellot et al [41] and Shekhar et al [42] both used a local match of each individual IVUS frame with the angiographic outline. Pellot, however, refined the preliminary contour by using the densitometric profiles and a-priori information as input for a combination of Markov random fields and adapted simulated annealing [28], [41]. In contrast to determining the orientation individually for each frame, constraints from the Frenet-Serret formulas can be used to determine the twist between the frames.…”

“…However, due to the limited resolution of angiography they are rarely used to assess smaller vessels like coronary or cerebral arteries [25]- [27]. As proposed in [28], the geometrically derived elliptical shape may serve as a basis for binary reconstruction methods to refine the cross-sectional contour.…”

Plaque development, vessel curvature, and wall shear stress in coronary arteries assessed by X-ray angiography and intravascular ultrasound

“…Similarly, analyses from biplane angiography can only offer elliptical approximations of the lumen shape (Wahle et al, 1995). Although attempts to achieve further refinement of the lumen shape based on X-ray densitometry have shown to be successful in larger structures (e.g., iliac arteries (Pellot et al, 1994) or ventricles (Prause and Onnasch, 1996)) and also in coronary arteries (Reiber et al, 1982/83;Bao et al, 1990), X-ray angiography cannot directly depict plaque distribution or composition. Instead, these are approximated indirectly from the contrast-filled lumen (Seiler et al, 1992;Wahle et al, 1995).…”

A Bayesian filtering approach to incorporate 2D/3D time-lapse confocal images for tracking angiogenic sprouting cells interacting with the gel matrix

“…Vessel segmentation algorithms extract parameters including centerlines, edges and junctions and the whole vascular network (Kirbas and Quek, 2000;Lesage et al, 2009). Techniques applied include pattern recognition techniques (Zana and Klein, 2001;Truc et al, 2009), model-based approaches (Agin and Binford, 1976;Pellot et al, 1994) and tracking-based approaches in the spatial frame (Florin et al, 2006;Wörz and Rohr, 2007).…”