Computer modeling of the abdominal aorta using magnetic resonance images.

An approach is described for creating a 3-D computer model of the abdominal aorta from just two projective images. The aorta is modeled by conical segments connecting circular cross sections. Accuracy of this technique is within 1 mm. From the 3-D computer model, quantitative measurements of vessel diameter, length, and position are available for any subset of the arterial structure. Visualization is enhanced by displaying the computer model rather than a direct set of images obtained from different perspectives. Ambiguities from overlapping branches can be resolved by rotating the model or by eliminating the interfering structures. This approach has been applied in both phantom studies, in which quantitative comparisons were made, and in vivo studies, in which qualitative evaluations were made.