3-D quantification of the aortic arch morphology in 3-D CTA data for endovascular aortic repair

IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2010 Oct;57(10):2359-68. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2010.2053539. Epub 2010 Jun 21.

Abstract

We introduce a new model-based approach for the segmentation and quantification of the aortic arch morphology in 3-D computed tomography angiography (CTA) data for thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). The approach is based on a model-fitting scheme using a 3-D analytic intensity model for thick vessels in conjunction with a two-step refinement procedure, and allows us to accurately quantify the morphology of the aortic arch. Based on the fitting results, we additionally compute the (local) 3-D vessel curvature and torsion as well as the relevant lengths not only along the 3-D centerline, but particularly also along the inner and outer contour. These measurements are important for preoperative planning in TEVAR applications. We have validated our approach based on 3-D synthetic as well as 3-D MR phantom images. Moreover, we have successfully applied our approach using 3-D CTA datasets of the human thorax and have compared the results with ground truth obtained by a radiologist. We have also performed a quantitative comparison with a commercial vascular analysis software.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiography / methods*
  • Aorta, Thoracic / anatomy & histology*
  • Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / methods*
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Surgery, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Thorax / anatomy & histology
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods*