Improved image guidance of coronary stent deployment

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Abstract
Accurate placement and expansion of coronary stents is hindered by the fact that most stents are only slightly radiopaque, and hence difficult to see in a typical coronary x-rays. We propose a new technique for improved image guidance of multiple coronary stents deployment using layer decomposition of cine x-ray images of stented coronary arteries. Layer decomposition models the cone-beam x-ray projections through the chest as a set of superposed layers moving with translation, rotation, and scaling. Radiopaque markers affixed to the guidewire or delivery balloon provide a trackable feature so that the correct vessel motion can be measured for layer decomposition. In addition to the time- averaged layer image, we also derive a background-subtracted image sequence which removes moving background structures. Layer decomposition of contrast-free vessels can be used to guide placement of multiple stents and to assess uniformity of stent expansion. Layer decomposition of contrast-filled vessels can be used to measure residual stenosis to determine the adequacy of stent expansion. We demonstrate that layer decomposition of a clinical cine x-ray image sequence greatly improves the visibility of a previously deployed stent. We show that layer decomposition of contrast-filled vessels removes background structures and reduces noise.

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