The Vascular Modeling Toolkit: A Python Library for the Analysis of Tubular Structures in Medical Images

Vascular disease is the leading cause of death in the developed world (Benjamin et al. 2018). There is a wide body of evidence demonstrating that the geometric structure and layout of the vascular network has a major impact on hemodynamics and the associated severity / progression of vascular diseases such as heart attack, stroke, and aneurysm rupture (Luca Antiga 2002, L. Antiga et al. (2008)). Analysis of diagnostic medical scans designed to highlight vascular structures (such as CT Angiography or MR Angiography) allows for the detailed characterization of these structures in vivo. Such analyses generate quantitative measures which can be used in order to understand both disease characteristics across a population, and the efficacy of potential treatments (Piccinelli et al. 2009, L. Antiga et al. (2008)).