A comprehensive study of stent visualization enhancement in X-ray images by image processing means

• Published in: Medical image analysis 2011-08, Vol.15 (4), p.565-576
• Main Authors: Bismuth, Vincent, Vaillant, Régis, Funck, François, Guillard, Niels, Najman, Laurent
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Blood Vessel Prosthesis; Computation and Language; Computer Science; Coronary Angiography - methods; Coronary Artery Disease - surgery; Humans; Image enhancement; Radiographic Image Enhancement - methods; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Registration; Segmentation; Stent; Stents; X-ray imaging
• ISSN: 1361-8415; 1361-8423
• DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2011.03.002

Coronary stent imaged with X-ray fluoroscopy, before (left) and after (right) digital stent enhancement. [Display omitted] ► Comprehensive study of DSE, from clinical needs to the validation of solution. ► Fully automated algorithm for stent visualization enhancement is detailed. ► Original algorithms for guide-wire segmentation and image registration. ► Thorough validation and characterization of the performances of the algorithm. In this work we propose a comprehensive study of Digital Stent Enhancement (DSE), from the analysis of the requirements to the validation of the proposed solution. First, we derive the stent visualization requirements in the context of the clinical application and workflow. Then, we propose a DSE algorithm combining automatic detection, tracking, registration and contrast enhancement. The most original parts of our solution: landmark segmentation and non-linear image registration are detailed. Finally, we validate the algorithm on a large number of synthetic and clinical cases. Performance is characterized in terms of automation, image quality and execution time. This work is, to the best of our knowledge, the first comprehensive article on DSE, covering problem statement, proposed solution, and validation strategies.