Automatic IVUS lumen segmentation using a 3D adaptive helix model.

In this paper, we develop a three dimensional (3D) segmentation algorithm of the lumen visualized using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging. These images are known for their various granular textures (speckles) that make the discrimination of different tissues very difficult, especially as a result of the presence of artifacts and shadows generated by tissue calcification. Our model consists of a helical active contour initialized automatically over the sequence, that evolves based on the analysis of the Rayleigh distribution of gray levels in order to extract the luminal border.