Getting started guide

IMPAX Volume Viewing

Vessel Viewing
This guide outlines how to track and analyze the course of a contrast-filled vessel in a volumetric CT
dataset. This functionality requires an IMPAX Vessel Viewing license.

Vessel tracking

Select the Vessel Viewing mode in the top toolbar.

Next, select the type of vessel (carotid, peripheral)

or an air-filled structure (e.g. bronchi) from the
dropdown menu in the top toolbar.

The full-screen MPR viewport will show a color

overlay:
• Green marks the voxels which will be
preferred by the vessel tracking algorithm
• Yellow marks the voxels which are not
preferred, but will also be considered by the
tracking algorithms
• Voxels without a color overlay will not be
considered

Adjust the HU markers on the boundaries slider to

make sure the entire vessel is marked in green.

The range of the slider can be adjusted with the +

and – buttons. Use the Preview button to

show or hide the color overlay.

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 Select Add path point from the top
toolbar, and place the first track point on the
MPR viewport via a left mouse click.
If a 3D view is available, points can also be
placed on the 3D volume. This is not
recommended, as the points will then be
placed at the edge of the vessel and not its
center.

Now scroll through the slices, and add

additional track points. While placing these
points, mouse manipulations to scroll, zoom
and pan are still available.

A minimum of two track points (start and end)

is required.

Click Process All in the top toolbar to

start tracking the vessel.

The software will now track the centerline of

the vessel. Click Cancel in the progress

dialog to cancel this process.

To define a new path (and remove the existing

vessel centerline), again select Add path point

and start over.

Hint:
Two screen layouts are available in Vessel Analysis mode. The preferred screen layout may depend on the
orientation of the monitor on which the application is displayed (landscape or portrait), or the type of

vessel which is analyzed. Use the Layout button in the top toolbar to switch between these layouts.

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Vessel analysis

Once the centerline is completely detected,

the vessel analysis viewports will be filled, and
the centerline path will be displayed in red on
the 3D and MPR viewports.

A number of viewports are available:

• A straightened CPR (curved planar
reformat) through the centerline
• A graph displaying minimum,
maximum and average diameters along
the path
• Two cross-sections (tagged A and B)
displaying minimum, maximum and
average diameters
• Measurement results

Straightened CPR and graph

A curved planar reformat along the entire path
of the vessel is shown.

The top of the viewport always shows the

location of the first path point; the bottom
corresponds with the location of the last path
point.

The location of both cross-sections is also

indicated on this view, and these locators can
repositioned (by dragging them up or down).

The width of the straightened CPR can be

resized by dragging the right edge left or right.

The graph plots the minimum (green),

average (blue), and maximum (red) diameter
along the course of the vessel.

On the CPR and graph, zooming, panning and

placing markups are not allowed.

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 Cross-sections
There are two cross-sections, labelled A and B.
On each cross-section, three diameters are
shown:
• The maximum diameter (red)
• The minimum diameter (green)
• The average diameter, plotted as a
dotted circle (blue)

These diameters cannot be edited.

Measurement results
Two measurements are shown:
• Distance along the path between cross-
sections A and B
• Ratios of average vessel diameters (d)
and average vessel areas (A) between
cross-sections A and B

Ratio is measured using the following formula:

( 1 – (A/B) ) * 100%
A = the smallest diameter or area
B = the largest diameter or area

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