Frequency-domain active contours solution to evaluate intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery

摘要

The intima media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery (CCA) is being used as a reliable and early detector of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis may be unnoticed fo years before triggering severe illnesses such as stroke, embolisms or ischemia. Hence, the use of IMT leads to an early atherosclerosis diagnosis that can prevent more serious cardiovascular diseases. Usually, IMT is manually extracted from ultrasound images, which is a non-invasive technique, but unfortunately its measurement is prone to error.