title: Pulmonary airways: 3-D reconstruction from multislice CT and clinical investigation.
abstract: In the framework of computer-aided diagnosis, this paper proposes a novel functionality for the computerized tomography (CT)-based investigation of the pulmonary airways. It relies on an energy-based three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of the bronchial tree from multislice CT acquisitions, up to the sixth- to seventh-order subdivisions. Global and local analysis of the reconstructed airways is possible by means of specific visualization modalities, respectively, the CT bronchography and the virtual bronchoscopy. The originality of the 3-D reconstruction approach consists in combining axial and radial propagation potentials to control the growth of a subset of low-order airways extracted from the CT volume by means of a robust mathematical morphology operator-the selective marking and depth constrained (SMDC) connection cost. The proposed approach proved to be robust with respect to a large spectrum of airway pathologies, including even severe stenosis (bronchial lumen obstruction/collapse). Validated by expert radiologists, examples of airway 3-D reconstructions are presented and discussed for both normal and pathological cases. They highlight the interest in considering CT bronchography and virtual bronchoscopy as complementary tools for clinical diagnosis and follow-up of airway diseases.
authors.affiliation: ARTEMIS Project Unit, Institut National des Télécommunications, 9 rue Charles Fourier, 91011 Evry Cedex, France. catalin.fetita@int-evry.fr
authors.forename: Catalin I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Fetita
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prêteux
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beigelman-Aubry
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grenier
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D001982:Bronchial Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001995:Bronchography / Q000379:methods*; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013382:Subtraction Technique