Automated Segmentation and Visualization of the Pulmonary Vascular Tree in Spiral CT Angiography: An Anatomy-Oriented Approach Based on Three-Dimensional Image Analysis

A new method for automated segmentation of the pulmonary vascular tree in spiral CT angiography was developed based on 3D image analysis techniques and anatomic knowledge. For efficient and effective segmentation, an anatomy-oriented approach was introduced, in which several anatomic structures are segmented sequentially and the properties of each segmented structure are used for the next step of segmentation and for validation of intermediate results. By use of clinical data of 12 patients, parameters for segmentation were analyzed and optimized. The effectiveness of the segmentation method was evaluated through the visual assessment by comparison between images of the segmentation results by volume rendering and images of maximum intensity projection of the original volume data.