A multiscale tracking algorithm for the coronary extraction in MSCT angiography

This paper deals with the extraction of the coronary network on dynamic volume sequences, acquired in multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT). The proposed approach makes use of a tracking algorithm of the vascular structure, combining a 3D geometric moment operator with a multiscale Hessian filter to estimate the vessel central axis location, its local diameter and orientation. The method performs at the same time, a bifurcation detection to reconstitute the structure of the coronary network. The mean computation time to extract a coronary network is about 3 minutes using a P4-2.4G PC. Preliminary encouraging results are presented on one volume of a sequence.