Evaluation of Diffusion Techniques for Improved Vessel Visualization and Quantification in Three-Dimensional Rotational Angiography

摘要

Three-dimensional rotational angiography (3DRA) is a promising imaging technique which yields high-resolution isotropic 3D images of vascular structures. Raw 3DRA images, however, usually suffer from a high noise level and the presence of other artifacts. For accurate visualization and quantification of vascular anomalies, noise reduction is therefore highly desirable. In this paper we analyze the effects of several linear and nonlinear filtering techniques for that purpose. From the results of in vitro experiments we conclude that edge-enhancing anisotropic diffusion is very suitable for mentioned tasks. However, in view of the computational requirements of this technique, the regularized isotropic nonlinear diffusion scheme may be considered a useful alternative.