[Adaptive algorithm for automatic measurement of retinal vascular diameter]

A new adaptive computer-aided method for the measurement of blood vessel diameters has been developed. Within areas of interest in the image, the algorithm detects, line-wise, the edges of the vessels, which are then used for image-wise approximation and noise filtration. A high level of adaptivity with respect to numerous measuring parameters ensures its use in a wide range of applications. Thus, it has been shown to significantly improve clinically relevant reproducibility in the area of follow-up observations. The standard deviation for vessel diameter was (2.2 +/- 0.7)% in the case of arteries and (1.8 +/- 0.5)% in the case of veins. Testing the algorithm in images of poor quality revealed its high level of reliability and sensitivity.