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Three-dimensional segmentation and skeletonization to build an airway tree data structure for small animals

Ashutosh Chaturvedi1 and Zhenghong Lee1,2

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Quantitative analysis of intrathoracic airway tree geometry is important for objective evaluation of bronchial tree structure and function. Currently, there is more human data than small animal data on airway morphometry. In this study, we implemented a semi-automatic approach to quantitatively describe airway tree geometry by using high-resolution computed tomography (CT) images to build a tree data structure for small animals such as rats and mice. Silicon lung casts of the excised lungs from a canine and a mouse were used for micro-CT imaging of the airway trees. The programming language IDL was used to implement a 3D region-growing threshold algorithm for segmenting out the airway lung volume from the CT data. Subsequently, a fully-parallel 3D thinning algorithm was implemented in order to complete the skeletonization of the segmented airways. A tree data structure was then created and saved by parsing through the skeletonized volume using the Python programming language. Pertinent information such as the length of all airway segments was stored in the data structure. This approach was shown to be accurate and efficient for up to six generations for the canine lung cast and ten generations for the mouse lung cast.


PACS

87.59.bd Computed radiography

87.57.N- Image analysis

87.63.-d Non-ionizing radiation equipment and techniques

87.19.U- Hemodynamics

Subjects

Biological physics

Medical physics

Dates

Issue 7 (7 April 2005)

Received 18 November 2004, in final form 9 January 2005

Published 16 March 2005



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