Dynamic Characterization of Aorta Morphology and Function in the Presence of an Aneurysm

Evaluation of aorta morphology and function in presence of aneurysms or dissection is crucial for a correct treatment choice between surgical resection and percutaneous stent-graft deployment. We developed and tested a new method for automated dynamic aorta segmentation from computed tomography (CT) images from which static and dynamic parameters of aortic morphology and function can be automatically extracted. To detect the aortic surface in a 3D domain we applied a level set segmentation scheme that incorporates gradient-based, weighted expansion and mean curvature dependent regularizers. Three subjects were imaged using a multi-detector CT scanner (Siemens, Sensation Cardiac): one normal and two patients affected by an aneurysm in the ascending and descending aorta respectively. Extracted parameters showed significant differences between them. This preliminary study proves feasibility for an accurate and dynamic aorta segmentation from which several indexes of aortic morphology and function can be automatically extracted. This may be of benefit to patients with aortic aneurysms and dissection.