Marking arteries and catheters in x-ray fluoroscopy using morphological filtering

We present a method for marking objects of inte rest, such as catheters and arteries, in x-ray fluoroscopy images. The method uses morphological filtering with four oriented structuring elements. Results are illustrated on a phantom with and without added noise, and on a coronary artery image containing a catheter. The targeted application is x-ray fluoroscopy temporal filtering where this algorithm serves as a method to detect objects of interest. Other potential applications are artery tracking and roadmapping enhancement.