Patent ID: 8712132

Claim:
A method for automatic vectorization of the profile of a vessel tree with landmarks and vessel connections connecting said landmarks with at least one property, on the basis of tomographic images of an examined patient, comprising: providing statistically established location probabilities of landmarks in a vessel tree, in the form of a statistical vessel model, on the basis of evaluated tomographic image data records from a multiplicity of statistically comparable persons; acquiring or generating a current tomographic image data record of the patient; automatically determining a plurality of distinctive landmarks in the vessel tree in the current tomographic image data record of the patient; registering the current tomographic image data record to the statistical vessel model by approximating the landmarks established in the current tomographic image data record with the corresponding landmarks in the statistical vessel model; automatically determining previously unidentified landmarks in the registered tomographic image data record using characteristic identification features of the previously unidentified landmarks from the statistical vessel model and the statistical location probability thereof; determining at least one current vessel model using the identified landmarks and at least one vessel property at least one of at and between the identified landmarks; and outputting the current vessel model.