Automatic axis generation for virtual bronchoscopic assessment of major airway obstructions.
Virtual bronchoscopy (VB) has emerged as a paradigm for more effective 3D CT image evaluation. Systematic evaluation of a 3D CT chest image using VB techniques, however, requires precomputed guidance data. This guidance data takes the form of central axes, or centerlines, through the major airways. We propose an axes-generation algorithm for VB assessment of 3D CT chest images. For a typical high-resolution 3D CT chest image, the algorithm produces a series of airway-tree axes, corresponding airway cross-sectional area measurements, and a segmented airway tree in a few minutes on a standard PC. Results for phantom and human airway-obstruction cases demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithm. Also, the algorithm is demonstrated in the context of VB-based 3D CT assessment.
Swift
R D
RD
Department of Electrical Engineering, Penn State University, 121 Electrical Engineering East, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Kiraly
A P
AP
Sherbondy
A J
AJ
Austin
A L
AL
Hoffman
E A
EA
McLennan
G
G
Higgins
W E
WE
D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000465:Algorithms; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014481:United States; D014584:User-Computer Interface