Fast Virtual Stenting with Active Contour Models in Intracranical Aneurysm

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Intracranial stents are crucial for treating intracranial aneurysms (IAs).
• Pre-interventional simulations, including stent release and CFD, can optimize surgical strategies.
• Accurate virtual stenting is needed for patient-specific models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a fast virtual stenting method for intracranial aneurysms (IAs) using active contour models (ACM).
• To enable accurate, patient-specific stent deployment simulation on medical image data.
• To improve pre-interventional planning for IA treatment.

Main Methods:

• Proposed a virtual stenting technique based on active contour models (ACM).
• Generated initial stent mesh along the parent artery centerline, avoiding registration.
• Set initial mesh diameter to maximum inscribed sphere diameter for accuracy and efficiency.
• Implemented a novel collision detection criterion for terminating stent expansion, eliminating edge effects.

Main Results:

• The ACM-based method successfully performed virtual stenting on patient-specific models.
• Virtual stenting and CFD simulations demonstrated high efficacy and accuracy.
• The method accurately simulated stent release configuration within vessels and aneurysms.

Conclusions:

• The proposed fast virtual stenting method is effective and accurate for IA treatment planning.
• This technique aids surgeons in selecting optimal intervention schemes.
• It provides valuable support for therapy plan confirmation prior to procedures.