A multiscale dynamic programming procedure for boundary detection in ultrasonic artery images

Abstract

Ultrasonic measurements of human carotid and femoral artery walls are conventionally obtained by manually tracing interfaces between tissue layers. The drawbacks of this method are the interobserver variability and inefficiency. In this paper, we present a new automated method which reduces these problems. By applying a multiscale dynamic programming (DP) algorithm, approximate vessel wall positions are first estimated in a coarse-scale image, which then guide the detection of the boundaries in a fine-scale image. In both cases, DP is used for finding a global optimum for a cost function. The cost function is a weighted sum of terms, in fuzzy expression forms, representing image features and geometrical characteristics of the vessel interfaces. The weights are adjusted by a training procedure using human expert tracings. Operator interventions, if needed, also take effect under the framework of global optimality. This reduces the amount of human intervention and, hence, variability due to subjectiveness. By incorporating human knowledge and experience, the algorithm becomes more robust. A thorough evaluation of the method in the clinical environment shows that interobserver variability is evidently decreased and so is the overall analysis time. We conclude that the automated procedure can replace the manual procedure and leads to an improved performance.

Circulating Levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Carotid Atherosclerosis in the Elderly

“…The images were digitized and imported into the automated Artery Measurement Software, version 1.0 (Liang et al 2000) for dedicated analysis of IMT and the IM-GSM. For IMT analysis, a maximal 10-mm segment with good image quality was chosen from the common carotid artery close to the bifurcation point.…”

The relationship between carotid intima–media thickness and global atherosclerosis

“…The images were digitalized and imported into an Artery Measurement Software (AMS) previously described (Liang et al ., 2000) for dedicated analysis of CIMT and plaque size. A segment with good image quality (up to 10 mm) was chosen for IMT analysis from the CCA.…”

Automated Detection of the Arterial Inner Walls of the Common Carotid Artery Based on Dynamic B-Mode Signals

“…Outlining the boundaries of intima and adventitia is not easy, especially on the near wall. Some features have been studied in previous studies [7,11], in which the most frequently used feature is the gradient of gray-values. From our previous studies [7,14,17], it is found that MacLeod operator combined with some specific enhancement filters are very suitable for feature extraction in intima and adventitia detections.…”