Novel Algorithm for Centerline Extraction of Coronary Arterial Tree in Coronary Angiographic Projections

An automatic algorithm is proposed for centerline extraction of coronary arterial tree (CAT) in X-ray projections (coronary angiography). First of all, a segmentation algorithm based on Hessian matrix is applied for the extraction of CAT, followed by thinning the extracted CAT to obtain the skeletons. By applying centerline correction algorithm based on Gabor filter to the skeleton, the centerline, as well as the diameter, can be obtained. In addition, two criteria for centerline accuracy evaluation are proposed. The proposed method is verified through the experimental studies.