ABSTRACT
Noninvasive cardiac imaging is an invaluable tool for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Computed Tomography (CT), Single Photon Emission (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Ultrasound (US), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS), and Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography (IVOCT) have been used extensively for physiologic understanding and diagnostic purposes in cardiology. This chapter provides an overview of automatic methods for quantification in cardiovascular images from major noninvasive modalities, such as CT, SPECT/PET, US, MRI, IVUS, and IVOCT. Computer-aided diagnosis in cardiology is a continuously developing discipline. One of the most challenging tasks for all modalities is cardiac image segmentation, where, despite the advances, the field remains open for new methods and strategies since there is no general solution to the problem. Recent studies show that IVOCT images are able to clearly show differences between the tissues surrounding the vascular wall, and are useful in the evaluation of coronary atherosclerotic plaques.
