Registration of biplane angiography and intravascular ultrasound for 3D vessel reconstruction

If planned and applied correctly, intra-vascular brachytherapy (IVB) can significantly reduce the risk of restenosis after interventional treatment of stenotic arteries.

In order to facilitate computer-based IVB planning, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the stenotic artery based on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) sequences is desirable.

To attain a 3D reconstruction, the frames of the IVUS sequence are properly aligned in space and completed with additional intermediate frames generated by interpolation. The alignment procedure uses additional information that is obtained from biplane X-ray angiography performed simultaneously during the capturing of the IVUS sequence. After IVUS images and biplane angiography data are acquired from the patient, the vessel-wall borders and the IVUS catheter are detected by an active contour algorithm. Next, the twist between adjacent IVUS frames is determined by a sequential triangulation method combined with stochastic analysis.

The above procedure results in a 3D volume-model of the vessel, which also contains information from the IVUS modality. This data is sufficient for computer-based intravascular brachytherapy planning.

The proposed methodology can be used to improve the current state-of-the-art IVB treatment planning by enabling computerized dosage computations on a highly accurate 3D model.