Design of automated algorithms for analyzing gated SPECT cardiac blood pool images

The design of automated computer algorithms for delineating the left and right ventricular regions within gated 3-D reconstructions of the cardiac blood pool is investigated. Due to patient functional abnormalities, limited resolution, and noise, certain spatial and temporal features of the cardiac blood pool that one would anticipate finding in every study are not present in certain frames or with certain patients. Therefore, the labeling of the chambers of the cardiac blood pool requires an algorithm that only relies upon features present in all patients. We examine a sequential algorithm wherein the limiting factor in the accuracy and reliability of the algorithm is that of locating the atrio-ventricular valve planes.