Analysis of Intracranial Aneurysm Detection using Time-based Parametric Color-Coded Cerebral Angiogram Vs. Conventional Digital Subtraction Angiography

Abstract

Introduction: The worldwide prevalence of intracranial aneurysms is estimated to be 5-10%; approximately 10-12 million people are affected by intracranial aneurysms in the United States (US), and they are considered a major problem in public health.The manual interpretation of intracranial aneurysms based on visual examinations and direct observation of medical imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or any of the digital subtraction angiography (DSA), are still presented in monochrome form, and it takes time to interpret the medical images.Methods: Alternative methods are in development that would allow for detection of intracranial aneurysms using open source MATLAB software. This method is a way to observe the aneurysm using the 2 dimensional (2D) DSA data based on the calculations of time to peak (TTP) and time duration (TD) of the contrast agent flow in the blood vessel in order to capture the aneurysm and visualize it using a color system based on a specific index.Results: In this study, the color changes of the DSA data that were processed using open source MATLAB software were found in 24 cases (88.9%) and only 3 cases (11.1%) did not show any color changes. Based on Spearman's correlation test, there was a significant correlation between the size of the high dome, dome-neck ratio, and the aspect ratio (p <0.01) on the color changes of data that were processed using DSA MATLAB software.Conclusion: The modification methods that capture color changes in different blood vessels are expected to be able to assist clinicians in the detection of intracranial aneurysms more quickly and precisely and are also highly dependent on the subjectivity of the observer; this method is a way to help neurosurgeons come up with new approaches for the management of aneurysms. Key Words: Intracranial aneurysm, DSA, MATLAB software, color changes