AUTOMATIC TRACING ALGORITHM FOR QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF CONTINUOUS STRUCTURES

摘要

This invention provides an automatic tracing algorithm for quantitative analysis of continuous structures, such as the images of tree-like or network-like structures. The algorithm includes the steps of encoding 3-D image voxels by using a source field encoding methodology followed by a defined image threshold, tracing the codelets along encoded voxels such that the characteristic element of a 3-D image such as the center line of fiber, fiber branch, loop, and end point can be determined systematically, and achieving the automatic analysis without manual intervention. In addition, quantitative measurements are exquisitely calculated by the location and distance of these characteristic elements between coded voxels. The algorithm is more suitable to automatically analyze the 2D/3D images of complex neurons, blood vessels, collagens in skin tissue, and fibril morphology in polymeric materials.