Alina G. van der Giessen

Standardized evaluation methodology and reference database for evaluating coronary artery centerline extraction algorithms.

Efficiently obtaining a reliable coronary artery centerline from computed tomography angiography data is relevant in clinical practice. Whereas numerous methods have been presented for this purpose, up to now no standardized evaluation methodology has been published to reliably evaluate and compare the performance of the existing or newly developed coronary artery centerline extraction algorithms. This paper describes a standardized evaluation methodology and reference database for the quantitative evaluation of coronary artery centerline extraction algorithms. The contribution of this work is fourfold: (1) a method is described to create a consensus centerline with multiple observers, (2) well-defined measures are presented for the evaluation of coronary artery centerline extraction algorithms, (3) a database containing 32 cardiac CTA datasets with corresponding reference standard is described and made available, and (4) 13 coronary artery centerline extraction algorithms, implemented by different research groups, are quantitatively evaluated and compared. The presented evaluation framework is made available to the medical imaging community for benchmarking existing or newly developed coronary centerline extraction algorithms.

The influence of boundary conditions on wall shear stress distribution in patients specific coronary trees

Patient specific geometrical data on human coronary arteries can be reliably obtained multislice computer tomography (MSCT) imaging. MSCT cannot provide hemodynamic variables, and the outflow through the side branches must be estimated. The impact of two different models to determine flow through the side branches on the wall shear stress (WSS) distribution in patient specific geometries is evaluated. Murrays law predicts that the flow ratio through the side branches scales with the ratio of the diameter of the side branches to the third power. The empirical model is based on flow measurements performed by Doriot et al. (2000) in angiographically normal coronary arteries. The fit based on these measurements showed that the flow ratio through the side branches can best be described with a power of 2.27. The experimental data imply that Murrays law underestimates the flow through the side branches. We applied the two models to study the WSS distribution in 6 coronary artery trees. Under steady flow conditions, the average WSS between the side branches differed significantly for the two models: the average WSS was 8% higher for Murrays law and the relative difference ranged from -5% to +27%. These differences scale with the difference in flow rate. Near the bifurcations, the differences in WSS were more pronounced: the size of the low WSS regions was significantly larger when applying the empirical model (13%), ranging from -12% to +68%. Predicting outflow based on Murrays law underestimates the flow through the side branches. Especially near side branches, the regions where atherosclerotic plaques preferentially develop, the differences are significant and application of Murrays law underestimates the size of the low WSS region.

Plaque and shear stress distribution in human coronary bifurcations: a multislice computed tomography study

AIMS Early atherosclerosis is located in low wall shear-stress (WSS) regions, however plaques are also found in the high WSS sensing flow divider walls of coronary bifurcations. We assessed the plaque distribution and morphology near bifurcations non-invasively with 64-slice computed tomography in relation to the WSS distribution. METHODS AND RESULTS We inspected 65 cross-sections near coronary bifurcations for the presence of plaque. Cross-sections were divided into four equal parts, which we numbered according to expected levels of WSS, with part I the lowest WSS (outer wall) and increasing WSSs in part II (inner bend), III (outer bend) and IV (flow divider). Of the cross-sections 88% had plaque. Of all parts I, 72% contained plaque. This was 62%, 38% and 31% in parts II, III and IV. In cross-sections with only 1 or 2 parts inflicted, plaque was found in part I and/or II in 94%. In 93% of the cross-sections with the flow divider inflicted, parts I and/or II were also inflicted. Plaque was never found exclusively in the flow divider part IV. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that plaque is mostly present in low WSS regions, whereas plaque in high WSS regions is accompanied by plaque in adjacent low WSS regions. It is therefore plausible that plaque grows from the outer wall (low WSS) of the bifurcation towards the flow divider (high WSS).

Shear stress and advanced atherosclerosis in human coronary arteries

The role of low and oscillating shear stress as a key factor for localizing early atherosclerotic plaques is generally accepted. Once more advanced plaques protrude into the lumen, the shear stress they are exposed to changes. The influence of shear stress on plaque composition in advanced atherosclerosis is not fully understood. In this review, we discuss our recent studies on the relationship between shear stress and plaque composition and the location of plaque rupture in human coronary arteries. We have shown that elevated shear stress levels can be found over plaques inducing only mild luminal narrowing and are not subjected to treatment. Regional exposure of certain plaque regions to high shear stress is therefore a condition that will pertain for a prolonged period of time. We have also shown that in more advanced atherosclerosis the necrotic core experiences higher shear stress. Low shear stress plaque regions can be found downstream of the plaque and are stiffer. High shear stress plaque regions can be found either at the upstream, shoulder or cap region of the plaque and are softer. The plaque regions with the highest strain levels are the regions that are exposed to the highest shear stress. The high shear stress plaque regions are the only plaque regions that get softer over time. Finally, high shear stress is also associated with the location of plaque rupture in non-culprit lesion in human coronary arteries. Combining our findings with data from literature, we can conclude that advanced coronary plaques grow in the distal regions. The distal plaque regions are exposed to low shear stress, are stiffer and have a stable plaque phenotype. The regions exposed to high shear stress are softer, and are associated with vulnerable plaque features.

Coronary Lumen Segmentation Using Graph Cuts and Robust Kernel Regression

This paper presents a novel method for segmenting the coronary lumen in CTA data. The method is based on graph cuts, with edge-weights depending on the intensity of the centerline, and robust kernel regression. A quantitative evaluation in 28 coronary arteries from 12 patients is performed by comparing the semi-automatic segmentations to manual annotations. This evaluation showed that the method was able to segment the coronary arteries with high accuracy, compared to manually annotated segmentations, which is reflected in a Dice coefficient of 0.85 and average symmetric surface distance of 0.22 mm.

Reproducibility, accuracy, and predictors of accuracy for the detection of coronary atherosclerotic plaque composition by computed tomography: an ex vivo comparison to intravascular ultrasound.

Purpose:To determine the reproducibility, accuracy, and predictors of accuracy of computed tomography (CT) angiography to detect and characterize coronary atherosclerotic plaque as compared with intravascular ultrasound. Methods:Ten ex vivo human coronary arteries were imaged in a moving phantom by dual-source CT (collimation: 0.6 mm, reconstructed slice thickness: 0.4 mm) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Coregistered cross-sections were assessed at 0.4 mm intervals for the presence and composition of atherosclerotic plaque (noncalcified, mixed, and calcified) on CT and IVUS by independent readers to determine reader agreement and diagnostic accuracy. Quantitative measurements of lumen and plaque area, plaque eccentricity, and intimal thickness on IVUS were used to determine predictors for the detection of noncalcified plaque by CT. Results:Within 1002 coregistered cross-sections, the interobserver agreement to detect plaque on CT was K = 0.48, K = 0.42, and K = 1.00 for noncalcified, mixed, and calcified plaque; respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of CT was 57% out of 84% for noncalcified, 32% of 92% for mixed, and 56% of 93% for calcified plaque when compared with IVUS; respectively. Misclassification occurred in 68% of mixed and 43% of noncalcified plaques. The odds of detecting noncalcified plaque in CT independently increased by 56% (95% CI: 47%–77%, P < 0.0001) with every 0.1 mm increase in maximum intimal thickness as measured by IVUS. Detection rate for noncalcified plaques was poor for plaques <1 mm (36%) but excellent for plaques >1 mm maximal intimal thickness (90%). Conclusion:Reader agreement and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of coronary atherosclerotic plaque vary with plaque composition. Intimal thickness independently predicts detection of noncalcified plaque by CT with excellent sensitivity for >1 mm thick plaques.

MRI-based quantification of outflow boundary conditions for computational fluid dynamics of stenosed human carotid arteries

Accurate assessment of wall shear stress (WSS) is vital for studies on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. WSS distributions can be obtained by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using patient-specific geometries and flow measurements. If patient-specific flow measurements are unavailable, in- and outflow have to be estimated, for instance by using Murrays Law. It is currently unknown to what extent this law holds for carotid bifurcations, especially in cases where stenoses are involved. We performed flow measurements in the carotid bifurcation using phase-contrast MRI in patients with varying degrees of stenosis. An empirical relation between outflow and degree of area stenosis was determined and the outflow measurements were compared to estimations based on Murrays Law. Furthermore, the influence of outflow conditions on the WSS distribution was studied. For bifurcations with an area stenosis smaller than 65%, the outflow ratio of the internal carotid artery (ICA) to the common carotid artery (CCA) was 0.62+/-0.12 while the outflow ratio of the external carotid artery (ECA) was 0.35+/-0.13. If the area stenosis was larger than 65%, the flow to the ICA decreased linearly to zero at 100% area stenosis. The empirical relation fitted the flow data well (R(2)=0.69), whereas Murrays Law overestimated the flow to the ICA substantially for larger stenosis, resulting in an overestimation of the WSS. If patient-specific flow measurements of the carotid bifurcation are unavailable, estimation of the outflow ratio by the presented empirical relation will result in a good approximation of calculated WSS using CFD.

In vivo 3D distribution of lipid-core plaque in human coronary artery as assessed by fusion of near infrared spectroscopy-intravascular ultrasound and multislice computed tomography scan

There is ample evidence that the development of acute coronary syndrome is linked to the presence of lipid-core, necrotic plaque. However, there is little information on the natural history of lipid-core plaques in humans. A close link between structural changes of atherosclerotic plaques over time to the local shear stress conditions in the arterial system has been reported.1 Although low shear stress is recognized for its proatherogenic impact on the endothelium,1 its role in plaque composition, destabilization, and rupture is less clear. The current paradigm postulates that low shear stress is a necessary condition for plaque accumulation. However, once lumen narrowing occurs because of plaque, local shear stress increases.2 We describe an approach that allows studying the interaction of lipid-core plaque accumulation and local shear stress in a correct anatomic 3D reconstruction of coronary arteries in living patients. A 61-year-old man with a history of myocardial infarction and stenting of the right coronary …

A CT-based medina classification in coronary bifurcations: Does the lumen assessment provide sufficient information?

To evaluate the distribution of atherosclerosis at bifurcations with computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) and propose a novel CT‐Medina classification for bifurcation lesions.

Averaging Centerlines: Mean Shift on Paths

Generation of a reference standard from multiple manually annotated datasets is a non-trivial problem. This paper discusses the weighted averaging of 3D open curves, which we used to generate a reference standard for vessel tracking data. We show how weighted averaging can be implemented by applying the Mean Shift algorithm to paths, and discuss the details of our implementation. Our approach can handle cases where the observer centerlines take different branches in a natural way. The method has been evaluated on synthetic data, and has been used to generate reference centerlines for evaluation of vessel tracking algorithms.