Vessel Analysis Using Single-Point Distance Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vessel analysis tools in medical imaging require significant user input and are inefficient, often needing endpoints or multiple points for tracking, leading to unpredictable results and increased computation time, especially when dealing with complex vascular structures like bifurcations.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows users to indicate a single point on a vascular structure, identifying a portion including bifurcations up to a predetermined distance, using measuring means like wavefront algorithms or Euclidean distance, with responsive display annotations and estimation of local tracking parameters from volumetric images, enabling efficient and consistent vessel tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple points or endpoints are required for vessel tracking, then the tracking can be more precise, but the user interaction complexity and computation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores distance information for all voxels relative to reference points before user interaction. When a user indicates a single point, the system immediately retrieves pre-computed distance data to identify the vessel portion, avoiding real-time complex calculations and enabling rapid response with single-point input
2Reliability
If the vessel tracking includes complex structures like bifurcations, then the analysis completeness improves, but the computation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary processing to pre-calculate distance maps and identify all vessel portions including bifurcations before user interaction. This pre-computation stores spatial relationships and vessel topology in advance, allowing the system to quickly retrieve and display complete vessel portions with complex structures when a user provides a single indication point
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a distance map copy that stores pre-computed distance information for all voxels. This copied data structure allows rapid querying of vessel portions without re-running complex tracking algorithms, enabling fast identification of complete vessel segments including bifurcations from a single user input
3Ease of operation
If a single point indication is allowed, then the ease of operation improves, but the predictability and consistency of identified portion decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter used for identification from arbitrary endpoint selections to distance-based measurement from a reference point. By using predetermined distance thresholds and distance maps, the system ensures that single-point indications consistently identify the same vessel portions, improving reliability while maintaining operational simplicity
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A system for performing vessel analysis uses display means (1) for displaying a three-dimensional image representing at least a tubular structure. Indicating means (2) are used for enabling a user to indicate a position on a vessel of the tubular structure, for obtaining an indicated position. Identifying means (3) are used for identifying a portion of the tubular structure situated around the indicated position, including any bifurcations, and extending up to a predetermined distance measure from the indicated position, for obtaining an identified portion. The display means (1) is also used for displaying a graphical annotation in the displayed three-dimensional image, indicative of the identified portion of the tubular structure.