Automatic navigation path generation based on two-phase adaptive region-growing algorithm for virtual angioscopy

In this paper, we propose a fast and automated navigation path generation algorithm to visualize inside of carotid artery using MR angiography images. The carotid artery is one of the body regions not accessible by real optical probe but can be visualized with virtual endoscopy. By applying two-phase adaptive region-growing algorithm, the carotid artery segmentation is started at the initial seed, which is located on the initially thresholded binary image. This segmentation algorithm automatically detects the branch position with stack feature. Combining with a priori knowledge of anatomic structure of carotid artery, the detected branch position is used to separate the carotid artery into internal carotid artery and external carotid artery. A fly-through path is determined to automatically move the virtual camera based on the intersecting coordinates of two bisectors on the circumscribed quadrangle of segmented carotid artery. In consideration of the interactive rendering speed and the usability of standard graphic hardware, endoscopic view of carotid artery is generated by using surface rendering algorithm with perspective projection method. In addition, the endoscopic view is provided with ray casting algorithm for off-line navigation of carotid artery. Experiments have been conducted on both mathematical phantom and clinical data sets. This algorithm is more effective than key-framing and topological thinning method in terms of automated features and computing time. This algorithm is also applicable to generate the centerline of renal artery, coronary artery, and airway tree which has tree-like cylinder shape of organ structures in the medical imagery.