Automatic Location and Suppression of Calcification and Atheromas by Gradient Change in the Pattern of Intensities Inside the Carotid Artery

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is associated with the first cause of death worldwide. However, early diagnosis is now feasible with sophisticated imaging methods called angiographies that produce 3D representations. From the images, it is possible to see the degree of stenosis that atheroma and calcifications produce within arteries. But yet, after locating and visualizing the abnormality, quantification of blockages is cumbersome due to the randomly intricated trace that arteries take. To overcome this difficulty, scientists trace the center line of the conduit to create parallel planes that serve as a basement to accurately define the geometries in health and disease. Unfortunately, the correct determination of the center line in blockages boycotts the accurate determination of parallel planes. This work presents an algorithm to automatically detect obstructions in the arteries and clean the path to facilitate the estimation of arteries’ center lines. The developed algorithm managed to clean the images with high precision and can adapt itself to the contrast regardless of the intensity profiles present in the images. Therefore, this method is suitable for any laboratory and is unsensible to differences in scanning setups.