Visualization of the abdominal aorta using three-dimensional computer models reconstructed from MR images

Abstract

An approach to creating a three-dimensional computer model of an arterial structure based on magnetic resonance (MR) images from a limited number of views is described. The computer model assumes that the vascular structure is composed of connected conical segments. From this three-dimensional computer model, quantitative measurements of vessel diameter, length, and position are available for any subset of the arterial structure. Visualization is enhanced by displaying the computer model rather than a direct set of images obtained from different perspectives. Ambiguities from overlapping branches can be resolved by rotating the model or by eliminating the interfering structures. The application of the approach to a glass phantom of an abdominal aorta is described, along with a three-dimensional computer model created by reconstructing the geometry extracted from two MR scans of the phantom. >