Traitement et analyse quantitative de séquences IRM cardiaques marquées - Processing and quantitative analysis of tagged cardiac MRI sequences

Traitement et analyse quantitative de séquences IRM cardiaques marquées

Processing and quantitative analysis of tagged cardiac MRI sequences

Aymeric Histace Christine Cavaro-Ménard  Vincent Courboulay  Michel Ménard 

Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Automatisés (CNRS-FRE 2656), Université d'Angers,62, Avenue Notre Dame du Lac, 49000 Angers, France

Laboratoire Informatique Image Interaction, Université de La Rochelle, Pôle Sciences et Technologie, Av Michel Crépeau,17042 La Rochelle Cedex 1 – FRANCE

Corresponding Author Email: 
aymeric.histace@univ-angers.fr
Page: 
125-143
|
Received: 
8 July 2005
| |
Accepted: 
N/A
| | Citation

OPEN ACCESS

Abstract: 

The noninvasive evaluation of the cardiac function presents a great interest for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Cardiac tagged MRI allows the measurement of anatomical and functional myocardial parameters. This protocol generates a dark grid which is deformed with the myocardium. As a consequence, the tracking of the grid allows the displacement estimation in the myocardium. The work described in this paper aims to automate the myocardial contours detection and the following of the grids of tags on Short-Axis time sequences, in order to firstly optimize the 2D+T study of the parietal contractions and secondly make possible its clinical use. The method we have developed for endocardial and epicardial contours detection is based on the use of texture analysis and active contours models. Texture analysis allows us to define energy maps more efficient than those usually used in active contours methods where attractor is often based on gradient and which were useless in our case of study. The follow-up of the grid of tags that we have implemented is based on a grid of active contours (B-snakes) which part of the energy is issued from a particular selective diffusion process which leading equation is based on the recent work of [8]. The results obtained with our method is fully automatic and correct on Short-Axis sequences, when previous works on cardiac tagged MR images analysis always used manual contours detection.

Résumé

L'évaluation non invasive de la fonction cardiaque présente un intérêt majeur pour le diagnostic et le suivi de pathologies cardio-vasculaires. L'IRM cardiaque marquée permet de mesurer des paramètres anatomiques et fonctionnels du myocarde. Ce protocole fait apparaître sur les images des séquences temporelles cardiaques Petit-Axe (PA) une grille se déformant avec le myocarde. Le suivi de cette grille permet ainsi d'estimer le déplacement intramyocardique. L'objectif de notre étude est de rendre robuste le suivi automatique de la grille de tags sur les séquences PA afin de mener une analyse quantitative 2D+T de la fonction contractile du Ventricule Gauche (VG). La méthode que nous avons développée dans ce but, utilise un modèle de contour actif sous forme de grille dont l'énergie image se construit grâce à une diffusion sélective permettant la sauvegarde de l'information de tag au détriment du reste sur chacune des images PA extraites des séquences IRM cardiaques marquées. Cette approche, couplée à une détection automatique des contours du VG sur ces mêmes images, permet l'obtention de résultats quantitatifs (paramètres cliniques) satisfaisants à la fois en terme de précision, de robustesse, de reproductibilité et de rapidité.

Keywords: 

Detection and follow-up, robustness, reproducibility, diffusion, MRI, Tagging, quantitative study

Mots clés

Détection et suivi, robustesse, reproductibilité, diffusion, IRM, Tagging, étude quantitative

1. Introduction
2. Détection Des Contours Endocardique Et Épicardique Du VG Entre La Télédiastole Et La Télésystole
3. Détection Et Suivi De La Grille De Tags
4. Estimation Quantitative Des Champs De Déplacement Et De Déformation Cardiaques Ventriculaires Gauches
5. Discussion
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