Identification of the main arterial branches by whole-body contrast-enhanced MRA in elderly subjects using limited user interaction fast marching

Abstract

Purpose: To extract a graph model corresponding to a predefined set of arterial branches from whole-body contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) data sets in elderly asymptomatic subjects, a high-incidence group. Materials and Methods: Maximum intensity projections (MIPs) were used as an interface to place landmarks in the three-dimensional (3D) data sets. These landmarks were linked together using fast marching to form a graph model of the arterial tree. Only vessels of interest were identified. Results: We tested our method on 10 subjects. We were able to build a graph model of the main arterial branches that performed well in the presence of vascular pathologies, such as stenosis and aneurysm. The results were rated by an experienced radiologist, with an overall success rate of 80%. Conclusion: We were able to extract chosen arterial branches in 3D whole-body CE-MRA images with a moderate amount of interaction using a single MIP projection. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.