Automated intravascular plaque classification

Abstract

Methods and apparatus automatically classify intravascular plaque using features extracted from intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) imagery. One example apparatus includes an image acquisition circuit that accesses a set of IVOCT images, a pre-processing circuit that generates a blood vessel mask based on the IVOCT images, a feature extraction circuit that defines a three dimensional (3D) volume of interest centered on a location in a member of the set of IVOCT images, a classification circuit that generates a classification based on a probability that a voxel represents a type of plaque, and a visualization circuit that provides a visualization, substantially in real time, of a member of the set of IVOCT images and the classification, where the visualization includes a sector classification image, a labeled image, or a 3D visualization. A prognosis or treatment plan may be provided based on the visualization or the classification.