Morphological analysis of the papillary muscles and the trabeculae

High resolution cardiac CT imaging technology has revealed the complex endocardial structures of the left ventricle, such as the trabeculae and the papillary muscles. In this paper, we study the morphology of such complex structures. We represent the structures accurately and concisely using curve skeletons, and measure these structures using topological and geometrical features. It is observed both qualitatively and quantitatively that structures at different parts of the endocardial surface have different characteristics. This morphological study sheds light on the potential future use of these complex en-docardial structures to study cardiac function and to diagnose cardiac diseases.