Accuracy of computer-aided measurements in endovascular stent-graft planning: an experimental study with two phantoms.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the new measurement software, created for aortic stent-graft planning. The software finds semiautomatically the centerline of the vessel from computer tomographic angiography data and calculates semiautomatically diameters and lengths. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two phantoms were constructed, scanned by CT and measured with the measurement software. Results were compared with the known dimensions of the phantoms and mean fractional errors were calculated. Linear regression analysis was also made between measured and known diameters. RESULTS: The mean fractional error (+/- SD) for all diameter measurements combined was 0.017 +/- 0.011. In the linear regression analysis, was 1.000. For length measurements, the mean fractional error (+/- SD) was 0.009 +/- 0.0006. CONCLUSIONS: The software enables accurate measurements perpendicular or parallel to the semiautomatically created centerline path.