Fast quantification of abdominal aortic aneurysms from CTA volumes

Abstract

A method is presented which aids the clinician in obtaining quantitative measurements of an abdominal aortic aneurysm from a CTA volume. These measurements are needed in the preoperative evaluation of candidates for minimally invasive aneurysmal repair. The user initializes starting points in the iliac artery. Subsequently, an iterative tracking procedure outlines the central lumen line in the aorta and the iliac arteries. Quantitative measurements on vessel morphology are performed in the planes perpendicular to the vessel axis. The entire process is performed in less than one minute on a standard workstation. In addition to the presentation of the calculated measures, a 3D view of the vessels is generated. This allows for interactive inspection of the vasculature and the tortuosity of the vessels.