Abstract
Objective
To develop a new evaluation method that utilizes three-dimensional morphological filter processing for the analysis of fine vascular structures.
Methods
Three-dimensional morphological filter processing was applied to a simulated vascular image to extract a binary skeletal pattern. To assess the precision of the proposed method, grayscale test charts were created using standard graphics software and evaluated visually. In addition, to access the accuracy of the grayscale test charts, phantom images with varied densities and structures were obtained by computed tomography and a quantitative evaluation was performed by calculation of morphological indices and a node-strut analysis.
Results
Application of the three-dimensional morphological filter allowed fine vascular structures to be extracted as binary skeletal patterns. In the quantitative analysis, all parameters showed strong correlations (R 2 = 0.983–1.000) between the theoretical and measured values.
Conclusion
The results suggest that the new method has potential for three-dimensional analysis of fine vascular structures.
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Kawamata, R., Sakurai, T. & Kashima, I. Basic study of three-dimensional fine vascular structural analysis based on morphological processing. Oral Radiol 29, 40–49 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11282-012-0107-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11282-012-0107-z