A new method for estimating dimensions and 3-D reconstruction of coronary arterial trees from biplane angiograms

The coronary arteries may be represented and visualized efficiently by a generalized cylinder (GC) model with elliptical cross-sections. By using this model and utilizing quadratic expression of an ellipse, the intensity distribution of an ellipse in any image plane, which is perpendicular to the plane of the arterial cross-section, is computed. A nonlinear parametric model for observed intensity distribution of an arterial cross-section is applied to estimate not only cross-sectional areas but also parameters of the ellipse which are essential in 3-D reconstruction of an arterial segment. This model takes into account background intensity, noise and blurring. Performance of this model has been tested on computer-generated and actual data for various background types and noise values and compared to those of other methods for estimating arterial dimensions. The computed cross-sectional areas from our model for computer-generated as well as actual data demonstrate much less variability than those reported in recent literature. 3-D reconstruction of arterial segments from actual biplane angiograms is presented.<>