In vivo evaluation of a new system for 3D computerized angiography

A new system has been designed and built to validate the concept of 3D computerized angiography (CA). This system can acquire a set of 2D digital subtracted angiography images while rotating around a patient and then, using these images, reconstruct a 3D representation of the opacified vasculature. The design principles and main characteristics of the system are described, with special attention paid to data processing aspects. An initial in vivo evaluation of this system performed on anaesthetized animals and human volunteers is presented. The influence on the quality of the 3D reconstruction of different factors such as volume resolution, estimation method, source trajectory and number of projections is discussed.