Preprocessing methods for robust tracking of coronary arteries in cardiac computed tomography images and systems therefor

A method for obtaining a pre-processed voxel dataset for use in tracking algorithms for accurately tracking coronary arteries in CT images, the method comprising the steps of:

• obtaining an original CT dataset comprising a plurality of voxels;
• identifying the voxels in the original CT dataset belonging to a heart, a left ventricle, a right ventricle, a left atrium, a right atrium, and an aorta;
• removing from the original CT dataset the voxels belonging to the heart to create a heart voxel dataset;
• removing from the heart voxel dataset the voxels belonging to the left ventricle, the right ventricle, the left atrium, the right atrium, and the aorta to create a heart minus cavities voxel dataset;
• enhancing voxels belonging to vessels proximate the heart to create an enhanced heart minus cavities voxel dataset;
• and
• linearly mixing an x-ray intensity of the original CT dataset and an x-ray intensity of the enhanced heart minus cavities voxel dataset to create the pre-processed voxel dataset.

A system for accurately tracking coronary arteries in CT images, the system comprising:

• a computed tomography apparatus capable of providing an original CT voxel dataset comprising a plurality of voxels;
• a means for creating a heart voxel dataset from the original CT voxel dataset comprising only voxels belonging to the heart;
• a means for creating a heart minus cavities voxel dataset by removing voxels belonging to the left ventricle, the right ventricle, the left atrium, the right atrium, and the aorta from the heart voxel dataset;
• a means for enhancing predetermined voxels in the heart minus cavities voxel dataset to create an enhanced heart minus cavities voxel dataset;
• and
• a means for mixing an intensity of the original CT voxel dataset with an intensity of the enhanced heart minus cavities voxel dataset to create the pre-processed voxel dataset.

A system for obtaining a pre-processed voxel dataset for use in tracking algorithms for accurately tracking coronary arteries in CT images, the system comprising:

• a computed tomography apparatus capable of providing an original CT dataset comprising a plurality of voxels;
• a means for identifying the voxels in the original CT dataset belonging to a heart, a left ventricle, a right ventricle, a left atrium, a right atrium, and an aorta;
• a means for removing from the original CT dataset the voxels belonging to the heart to create a heart voxel dataset;
• a means for removing from the heart voxel dataset the voxels belonging to the left ventricle, the right ventricle, the left atrium, the right atrium, and the aorta to create a heart minus cavities voxel dataset;
• a means for enhancing voxels belonging to vessels proximate the heart to create an enhanced heart minus cavities voxel dataset;
• and
• a means for linearly mixing an x-ray intensity of the original CT dataset and an x-ray intensity of the enhanced heart minus cavities voxel dataset to create the pre-processed voxel dataset.