Visualization and Analysis of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation using 3D and 4D MR Image Seqeunces
The cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a congenital disorder of blood vessels within the brain. An AVM builds an abnormal direct connection between the arteries and the veins, without having the normal capillaries between them. Thus, a lack of blood flow in other areas of the brain can occur. Abnormal pressure in the veins increases the risk of a hemorrhagic stroke. Possible treatments of AVMs are endovascular neurosurgery (obliterating vessels with glue), craniotomy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and their combined therapy.
Information about localization and quantification of the AVM, detection of feeding arteries (Feeders) and draining veins, and the evaluation of the haemodynamics are required for therapy planning.
Fig. 1: Temporal intensity curve of two voxels (red, blue) in the 4D MRA image sequence
The software system AnToNIa (Analysis Tool for Neuro Imaging Data) was developed, to enable the combined visualization and analysis of AVMs in spatial and spatiotemporal MRA datasets. Non-invasive 3D and 4D MRA are co-registered and evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively using new visualization techniques. Here, one of the main tasks is the representation of the temporal haemodynamics on a freemoving 3D model of the vessel system with high spatial resolution. Visualization and analysis of the individual structure of the AVM can support therapy planning and monitoring.
Fig 2: Colorized visualization of haemodynamic characteristics in the 2D-Slice of the high spatial MRA-dataset
Selected Publications
1. Nils D. Forkert, Dennis Säring, Till Illies, Jens Fiehler, Heinz Handels: Automatische Lokalisation und hämodynamische Charakterisierung von Gefäßstrukturen bei arteriovenösen Malformationen, Bildverarbeitung für die Medizin 2008, BVM 2008, Informatik aktuell, Springer Verlag, Berlin, 2008
2. Säring D., Fiehler J., Piening M.M., Forkert N., Handels H., Visual Computing zur Analyse von zerebralen arteriovenösen Malformationen in 3D- und 4D-MR-Bilddaten, Bildverarbeitung für die Medizin 2007, BVM 2007, München , Informatik aktuell, Springer Verlag, Berlin, 262-266, 2007.
3. Dennis Säring, Jens Fiehler, Nils Forkert, Merle Piening, Heinz Handels: Visualization and Analysis of Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation Combining 3D and 4D MR Image Sequences, International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, 2, 75-79, 2007.
Project Team
Nils Daniel Forkert
Dennis SäringHeinz HandelsCooperation Partners
Jens Fiehler
Till Illies
Karolin Wenzel
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
