You are here:
A COMPUTER MODEL OF LUNG MORPHOLOGY TO ANALYZE SPECT IMAGES
Citation:
Schroeter, J. D., J. S. Fleming, D. Hwang, AND T B. Martonen. A COMPUTER MODEL OF LUNG MORPHOLOGY TO ANALYZE SPECT IMAGES. COMPUTERIZED MEDICAL IMAGING AND GRAPHICS. Pergamon Press Ltd., New York, NY, 26:237-246, (2002).
Description:
Measurement of the three-dimensional (3-D) spatial distribution of aerosol deposition can be performed using Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). The advantage of using 3-D techniques over planar gamma imaging is that deposition patterns can be related to real lung structures. A computer model of the airway network has been developed that is compatible with the analysis of SPECT images. To ensure an accurate approximation of airways in vivo, it is important to correlate the model with the actual external shape of the lung and its internal branching system. Therefore, an idealized boundary was defined mathematically, based upon examination of scintigraphy data, to describe the outer bounding surface and distinctly separate the left and right components of the lung. A recursive algorithm is then used to develop the 3-D airway network inside the two enveloping surfaces. Computer-generated images are presented to visualize the complex branching structures inherent within human lungs. Techniques that are consistent with imaging procedures are developed to analyze the airways by type and number within predefined transverse slices of the lung volume. The computer models are designed to serve as templates, which when superimposed on gamma scintigraphy images, can assist in the interpretation of human test data.