Microcomputer based digital image enhancement system for coronary angiography

The authors have developed a microcomputer-based digital image processing system for the analysis of coronary arteriograms and ventriculograms. The system consists of an IBM-AT compatible computer equipped with an image capture board, a video camera, and a mouse. A commercially available interactive image enhancement software package with in-house written programs make-up the software environment. The image capture board is TARGA-M8, capable of grabbing images with 482×512-pixel resolution and 256 shades of gray. The video camera is of the CDD (charge-coupled-device) type. The captured images are displayed on a long persistence monitor. A mouse is used to draw regions of interest and to operate the menu-driven software. The system has been used for the densitometric and hemodynamic analysis of stenoses. Ejection fraction and wall motion analysis can be computed for ventriculograms