A Feasibility Study of Epicardial Coronary Angiography from Microbubble-contrasted Tridimensional Echocardiography: Segmentation Approaches

Author(s)

Lage, Danilo Meneses ; Tsutsui, Jeane Mike ; Furuie, Sergio Shiguemi ; D'hooge, J ; McAleavey, SA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MEDICAL IMAGING 2010: ULTRASONIC IMAGING, TOMOGRAPHY, AND THERAPY; v. 7629, p. 7-pg., 2010-01-01.

Abstract

Conventional coronary angiography has been the current gold standard for evaluation of coronary stenosis severity. However, this is an invasive procedure, based on ionizing radiation (X-Ray) and dependent of nephrotoxic contrast agents. In the past three decades, echocardiography has emerged as an important medical image modality in Cardiology. With the advent of microbubble-based contrast agents and array transducers, 3D-echocardiography now presents itself as a relative low-cost, non invasive and non ionizing alternative method to visibilize arteries and their dynamics. This paper investigates some segmentation techniques to emphasize and isolate epicardial coronaries in tridimensional microbubble-contrasted echocardiographic images, since available computational tools do not provide adequate processing. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 06/01424-5 - Visualization of epicardial coronary arteries from three-dimensional echocardiographic images with microbubble contrast application
• Grantee: Danilo Meneses Lage
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)