ESTIMATION OF CORONARY-ARTERY DIMENSIONS BY MEDIAN FILTERING APPROACH

A new algorithm based on the median filtering approach is presented fo r computerized assessment of the severity of coronary artery obstructi on from single-view angiograms. The median filtering approach is used because median filters have excellent properties in the presence of no ise and preserve the fine details of the image. These features are exp loited to optimize the estimation of coronary vessel dimensions. The p roposed algorithm consists of four distinct stages: image enhancement, contour tracking, edge detection, and post-processing smoothing. The algorithm is tested on synthetic data, vessel phantoms, and real coron ary angiograms. The experimental outcome of the proposed median-based algorithm has demonstrated excellent performance and encouraging diagn ostic results in comparison with currently existing methods.