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An automatic algorithm for detecting stent endothelialization from volumetric optical coherence tomography datasets

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Garret T Bonnema1, Kristen O'Halloran Cardinal2, Stuart K Williams3 and Jennifer K Barton1,4

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Recent research has suggested that endothelialization of vascular stents is crucial to reducing the risk of late stent thrombosis. With a resolution of approximately 10 µm, optical coherence tomography (OCT) may be an appropriate imaging modality for visualizing the vascular response to a stent and measuring the percentage of struts covered with an anti-thrombogenic cellular lining. We developed an image analysis program to locate covered and uncovered stent struts in OCT images of tissue-engineered blood vessels. The struts were found by exploiting the highly reflective and shadowing characteristics of the metallic stent material. Coverage was evaluated by comparing the luminal surface with the depth of the strut reflection. Strut coverage calculations were compared to manual assessment of OCT images and epi-fluorescence analysis of the stented grafts. Based on the manual assessment, the strut identification algorithm operated with a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 99%. The strut coverage algorithm was 81% sensitive and 96% specific. The present study indicates that the program can automatically determine percent cellular coverage from volumetric OCT datasets of blood vessel mimics. The program could potentially be extended to assessments of stent endothelialization in native stented arteries.


PACS

87.63.L- Visual imaging

87.57.N- Image analysis

87.85.Lf Tissue engineering

87.19.X- Diseases

42.30.Wb Image reconstruction; tomography

Subjects

Optics, quantum optics and lasers

Biological physics

Medical physics

Dates

Issue 12 (21 June 2008)

Received 10 January 2008, in final form 3 April 2008

Published 20 May 2008



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