Simulation of biphasic CT findings in hepatic cellular carcinoma by a two-level physiological model.

Abstract

In this paper, we present a two-level physiological model that is able to reflect morphology and function of vascular networks, in clinical images. Our approach results from the combination of a macroscopic model, providing simulation of the growth and pathological modifications of vascular network, and a microvascular model, based on compartmental approach, which simulates blood and contrast medium transfer through capillary walls. The two-level model is applied to generate biphasic computed tomography of hepatocellular carcinoma. A contrast-enhanced sequence of simulated images is acquired, and enhancement curves extracted from normal and tumoral regions are compared to curves obtained from in vivo images. The model offers the potential of finding early indicators of disease in clinical vascular images.