Vascular network segmentation in subtraction angiograms: a comparative study.

The three-dimensional reconstruction of vascular trees from a very limited number of two-dimensional projections is an active research field. The quality of the results (resolution in terms of vessel size and geometrical location) is highly dependent on the overall distortions introduced in the data acquisition process but is also related to the reliability of feature detection. A new approach based on mathematical morphology is proposed in this paper for extracting the centrelines and edges of coronary vessels from digital subtracted angiograms. These results are compared with those from an alternative method based on vectorial tracking and a directed contour finder.