Imaging and analysis of angiogenesis for skin transplantation by microangiography

The success of skin transplantations depends on a proper revascularization of the transplanted tissue. Angiogenesis (vessel growth) in the transplanted dermal matrices can be stimulated by administering different drugs. To evaluate the effectiveness of different drug treatments in an experimental setting using laboratory animals, vessels in transplant samples are visualized by so-called micro-angiograms, i.e., X-ray images after contrast agent injection. We describe a framework for the acquisition of such micro-angiograms as well as for the subsequent semi-automatic analysis of angiogenesis. Central to our analysis is the segmentation of small fasciocutaneous vessels in the transplant sample.