Event-based progression detection strategies using scanning laser polarimetry images of the human retina.

Monitoring glaucoma patients and ensuring optimal treatment requires accurate and precise detection of progression. Many glaucomatous progression detection strategies may be formulated for Scanning Laser Polarimetry (SLP) data of the local nerve fiber thickness. In this paper, several strategies, all based on repeated GDx VCC SLP measurements, are tested to identify the optimal one for clinical use.

Non-provocative diagnostics of photosensitivity using visual evoked potentials.

Objective: Photosensitive epilepsy (PSE) is the most common form of reflex epilepsy. Usually, to find out whether a patient is sensitive, he/she is stimulated visually with, e.g.

Split bundle detection in polarimetric images of the human retinal nerve fiber layer.

Objectives: One method for assessing pathological retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) appearance is by comparing the NFL to normative values, derived from healthy subjects. These normative values will be more specific when normal physiological differences are taken into account. One common variation is a split bundle.

Automated tracking of the mitral valve annulus motion in apical echocardiographic images using multidimensional dynamic programming.

We developed a semiautomatic method for tracking the mitral valve annulus (MVA) in echocardiographic images, in particular, tracking the septal and the lateral mitral valve hinge points. The algorithm is based on multidimensional dynamic programming combined with apodized block matching. The method was tested on single-beat apical four chamber image sequences of 20 patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis: an accurate tool to assess stent-graft migration.

Purpose: To evaluate in an in vitro model the feasibility and accuracy of Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA) versus computed tomography (CT) for the ability to detect stent-graft migration.

Methods: An aortic model was constructed from a 22-mm-diameter Plexiglas tube with 6-mm polytetrafluoroethylene inlays to mimic the renal arteries. Six tantalum markers were placed in the wall of the aortic tube proximal to the renal arteries.

Modeling of scanning laser polarimetry images of the human retina for progression detection of glaucoma.

The development of methods to detect slowly progressing diseases is often hampered by the time-consuming acquisition of a sufficiently large data set. In this paper, a method is presented to model the change in images acquired by scanning laser polarimetry, for the detection of glaucomatous progression. The model is based on image series of 23 healthy eyes and incorporates colored noise, incomplete cornea compensation and masking by the retinal blood vessels.

Inter-frame motion correction for MR thermometry.

Noninvasive temperature measurement is feasible with MRI to monitor changes in thermal therapy. Phase shift based MR thermometry gives an estimate of the relative temperature variation between thermal and baseline images. This technique is limited, however, when applied on targets under inter-frame motion.

Automated detection of wedge-shaped defects in polarimetric images of the retinal nerve fibre layer.

Purpose: Automated glaucoma detection in images obtained by scanning laser polarimetry is currently insensitive to local abnormalities, impairing its performance. The purpose of this investigation was to test and validate a recently proposed algorithm for detecting wedge-shaped defects.

Methods: In all, 31 eyes of healthy subjects and 37 eyes of glaucoma patients were imaged with a GDx.

Interactive 3D segmentation using connected orthogonal contours.

This paper describes a new method for interactive segmentation that is based on cross-sectional design and 3D modelling. The method represents a 3D model by a set of connected contours that are planar and orthogonal. Planar contours overlayed on image data are easily manipulated and linked contours reduce the amount of user interaction.

A model based method for retinal blood vessel detection.

Retinal blood vessels are important structures in ophthalmological images. Many detection methods are available, but the results are not always satisfactory. In this paper, we present a novel model based method for blood vessel detection in retinal images.

Detecting glaucomatous wedge shaped defects in polarimetric images.

Wedge shaped defects of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) may occur in glaucoma. Currently, automatic detection of wedge shaped defects in Scanning Laser Polarimetry (SLP) images of the RNFL is not available. An automatic classification is currently based only on global parameters, thereby ignoring important local information.

Largest contour segmentation: a tool for the localization of spots in confocal images.

An accurate determination of the 3-D positions of multiple spots in images obtained by confocal microscopy is essential for the investigation of the spatial distribution of specific components or processes in biological specimens. The position of the centroid, as an estimator for the position of a spot, can be calculated on the basis of all voxels that belong to the domain of the spot. For this calculation a domain that defines which voxels belong to the spot must be delimited.

Automatic region of interest determination in dual photon absorptiometry of the lumbar spine.

In a heuristic approach, the authors developed an algorithm for automatic region-of-interest (ROI) determination in bone mineral density (BMD) measurements of the lumbar spine. First, the algorithm detects the boundaries of the spine utilizing simple smoothing and gradient operators followed by a dynamic programming technique. Second, it selects L2, L3, and L4 from the spine by examining the BMD values along lines that are orthogonal to the local direction of the spine.

Medical imaging workstation: a software environment.

In a study to set up an experimental simple imaging workstation with facilities for image input, storage, presentation and manipulation, BAZIS developed a software package called FRACTALS (Filmless Radiology And Computerized Task Analysis Lab Software). The investment in the development of effective software for digital radiological workstations is of great importance in picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) research. General purpose workstations are becoming less expensive and more powerful.

Automatic assignment of elliptical ROIs: first results in planar scintigrams of the left ventricle.

Several algorithms for quantitative analysis of 201Tl scintigrams require operator assigned elliptical regions. Therefore these algorithms are hampered by inter- and intra-observer errors. In this paper we present a robust algorithm to determine automatically contours with elliptical shapes.

Delineating elliptical objects with an application to cardiac scintigrams.

To delineate the myocardium in planar thallium-201 scintigrams of the left ventricle, a method, based on the Hough transformation, is presented. The method maps feature points (X, Y, Y')-where Y' reflects the direction of the tangent in edge point (X,Y)-into the two-dimensional space of the axis lengths of the ellipse. Within this space, a probability density function (pdf) can be estimated.

Flow karyotyping of human melanoma cell lines.

Single-laser flow cytometry has been used to study the feasibility of flow karyotyping of human solid tumors. As a model, seven human melanoma cell lines have been used with varying numerical chromosome composition as verified by FCM DNA content measurements and chromosome countings. For all seven cell lines, flow karyotypes that showed a variety of consistent deviations from the normal diploid flow karyotype could be obtained although the resolution of the flow system and varying debris continuum limited the number of resolvable peaks.

Thallium myocardial perfusion scintigraphy: influence of perfusion, scatter, and photon energy on the detection of lesions.

Experimental studies have been made of lesion detectability in myocardial perfusion studies using thallium-201. A series of images (AP view) was generated mathematically. Images were simulated with 100k, 200k, and 300k counts for the complete image and either non- or half-perfused lesions (lesion volume 1-6 1/2% of total myocardial volume).

Methodological aspects of flow cytometric analysis of DNA polyploidy in human heart tissue.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the possibilities of flow cytometry (FCM) for the analysis of DNA polyploidy in human heart tissue. Suspensions of single nuclei were prepared with the detergent-trypsin procedure and stained with propidium iodide. A mathematical correction procedure was developed to correct for background and clumping.

Quantitative assessment of wall motion in multiple-gated studies using temporal Fourier analysis.

We described a method for quantification of left-ventricular wall motion in multiple-gated studies, based on approximation of local time-activity curves by the first harmonic of the corresponding Fourier spectrum. The Fourier transform is adapted to the global left-ventricular time-activity curve by shortening the length of the base period. The degree of shortening depends on the corresponding power in the second and higher harmonics; the base period that resulted in minimal power in the higher harmonics was selected for a Fourier transform of the regional curves.

Detection of lesions in thallium-201 myocardial perfusion scintigraphy.

Experimental studies have been made of the lesion detectability in myocardial perfusion studies using thallium-201. A series of images (AP-view) was generated using a convolution of a mathematical model of the left ventricular myocardium and an experimentally determined point spread function. Background was added.

DIODA: delineation and feature extraction of microscopical objects.

A computer program is described for delineation and measurement of microscopical objects, such as cells and chromosomes, which may have been scanned using absorbance, fluorescence or reflectance microscopy. The quality of the object delineation is optimized through the controur ratio, which is simply computed from the object contour. Geometrical features, like the perimeter and area are computed.

HIDACSYS: computer programs for interactive scanning cytophotometry.

A description is given of a combination of three programs developed for computer-assisted stage scanning cytophotometry and cytofluorometry of isolated, close-lying, or touching objects in different types of microscopical preparations. The advantages and limitations of the individual programs are discussed, as well as the local specimen conditions determining the optimal application range of each of the programs. The applicability of these programs was investigated by determination of the integrated absorbance values of Feulgen or gallocyanin-chrome alum stained chicken erythrocytes, human leucocytes, and skin biopsy cells in imprint preparations, as well as of guinea pig peritoneal granulocytes which had been submitted to a simultaneous coupling azo dye incubation for alkaline phosphatase activity.