A software for hepatic vessels classification for virtual surgery

One main purpose of imaging in hepatic surgery is the evaluation of the relation between the lesions and the intra-hepatic vascular system. Prior to surgical planning the physician mentally reconstructs both the vascular system and the lesions and estimates which part of the vascular system could be damaged during surgery. This abstract describes the development of a tool for analysis and 3D reconstruction of the intra-hepatic vascular system. For this purpose correct classification of the single branches of the hepatic and portal systems is important. The voxels of the intra-hepatic vascular tissue are characterized by high intensity values. On the basis of this feature, it is possible to develop a segmentation procedure that provides a single connected object representing both systems. This is caused by the extreme proximity to each other of the most external branch of each system and by the partial volume effect. Without further investigation it is impossible to define from which of the two venous systems the single branches originate. Our team has developed a method of classification of the branches which allows a correct and detailed reconstruction of the two venous systems even with pathologies causing morphological and topological variations of the vessels.