Automatic Detection of the Left Ventricular Outline in Angiographs Using Television Signal Processing Techniques

Structures characterized by a brightness contour can be automatically detected when the information is carried by a video signal. The detection system described here processes the available position and brightness information of the picture in a way closely related to the features of such structures. Real time processing of the picture information is made possible by the use of very simple memories. The electronic implementation of the detection procedure is dedicated to the extraction of the left ventricular contour out of angiographs. Compared with manual contour tracking the application in diagnostic cardiology will lead to a considerable time saving and improved reproducibility.