Device and method for medical imaging of coronary vessels

A method for medical imaging of coronary vessels, the method comprising the steps of:

• extracting a first 3D vessel map of coronary vessels from computed tomography angiography (CTA) data, said CTA data resulting from a CTA performed during a reference cardiac phase, and extracting a set of second 3D vessel maps of the coronary vessels from three-dimensional rotational angiography (3DRA) data, said 3DRA data resulting from a 3DRA performed during at least one cardiac cycle having phases inclusive of said reference cardiac phase;
• registering one second 3D vessel map of the set of second 3D vessel maps, said one second 3D vessel map having been extracted from the 3DRA data resulting from the 3DRA performed during the reference cardiac phase, with the first 3D vessel map extracted from the CTA data, said registering being based on an alignment of the coronary vessels in the first 3D vessel map extracted from the CTA data and the coronary vessels in said one second 3D vessel map of the set of second 3D vessel maps, said registering forming first estimated motions;
• registering said one second 3D vessel map extracted from the 3DRA data resulting from the 3DRA performed during the reference cardiac phase to other second 3D vessel maps of the set of second 3D vessel maps, said other second 3D vessel maps extracted from the 3DRA data resulting from the 3DRA performed during other cardiac phases successive to the reference cardiac phase in the at least one cardiac cycle to form second estimated motions;
• warping the first 3D vessel map to said one second 3D vessel map, by applying said first estimated motions to the first 3D vessel map, to form a first warped 3D vessel map;
• warping the first warped 3D vessel map to the other second 3D vessel maps, by applying said second estimated motions to the first warped 3D vessel map, to form a set of second warped 3D vessel maps;
• and
• simultaneously displaying the set of second warped 3D vessel maps and the set of second 3D vessel maps.