Development of a microcomputer based system for the quantification of coronary arterial disease

Abstract The Quantitative Angiographic Mensuration System consists of a standard 35 mm X-ray cine projector, microcomputer, rear projection graphics table and printer. Projected frames from the catheter investigation are digitized directly from the tablet surface and transmitted in real time to the microcomputer. Subsequently, custom written software corrects for image distortion and data inconsistency before producing relative and absolute measurements which characterize coronary arterial disease morphology. This software has proved repeatable and objective over a series of trials with standard errors of measurement for average maximal artery diameter being 0·015 mm and 0·140 mm respectively. On validation, dimensional results are not significantly different from test objects. This system is proving worthy as a research tool and now requires further development in order to establish a place in everyday clinical use.

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