Robust Tracing and Visualization of Heterogeneous Microvascular Networks

IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph. 2019 Apr;25(4):1760-1773. doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2018.2818701. Epub 2018 Mar 27.

Abstract

Advances in high-throughput imaging allow researchers to collect three-dimensional images of whole organ microvascular networks. These extremely large images contain networks that are highly complex, time consuming to segment, and difficult to visualize. In this paper, we present a framework for segmenting and visualizing vascular networks from terabyte-sized three-dimensional images collected using high-throughput microscopy. While these images require terabytes of storage, the volume devoted to the fiber network is ≈ 4 percent of the total volume size. While the networks themselves are sparse, they are tremendously complex, interconnected, and vary widely in diameter. We describe a parallel GPU-based predictor-corrector method for tracing filaments that is robust to noise and sampling errors common in these data sets. We also propose a number of visualization techniques designed to convey the complex statistical descriptions of fibers across large tissue sections-including commonly studied microvascular characteristics, such as orientation and volume.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Animals
  • Brain / blood supply
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Computer Graphics
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods*
  • Mice
  • Microscopy
  • Microvessels / diagnostic imaging*