Calibrated 3-D reconstruction of intracoronary ultrasound images with cardiac gating and catheter motion compensation

Current methods for 3-D reconstruction of intracoronary ultrasound images have limitations such as catheter motion in the transverse plane, unknown interslice distance (Z), and cyclic variations in lumen dimensions due to pulse pressure. The authors address these issues. They implemented a scheme to achieve accurate 3-D visualization and measurements of coronary arteries. They acquired cardiac gated and Z calibrated pull-back data by using a real-time data acquisition scheme. Catheter motion is compensated by using the media-adventitia interface as an internal reference. Following registration, the calibrated data set is interpolated to create accurate 3-D views. Using these techniques, motion artifacts in 3-D visualizations are removed. It is concluded that cardiac gating, Z calibration, and catheter motion compensation are desirable and feasible