Influence on Visibility Due to Differences of Guide Wire Movement―Visual & Physical Evaluations

The visibility of moving images during cardiac catheterization and treatment may be reduced by a number of factors. First, it involves multiple movements that occur simultaneously, such as the movements due to the heart beat and movement of the guide wire used during the treatment. There is also the influence of the X-ray dose on the image quality in the X-ray output. If X-rays are irradiated onto moving objects such as a guide wire moving during treatment of the heart, cardiac catheterization may be displaced to the next image recorded even when an insufficient X-ray dose has been irradiated because the imaged object is moving during the time the X-rays are emitted (pulse width). If the X-ray dose planned to be irradiated to the target is low, there is also the possibility that noise will appear in the image, and the imaged object may be lost in noise and visibility be reduced. For this reason, we conducted basic research into how changes in the speed of rotation of guide wires affect visibility when wires are positioned horizontally and vertically, using a dynamic phantom and recorded X-ray moving images. The purpose of this study is to elucidate whether the deterioration in the visibility is affected by the X-ray dose, the orientation or movement of a guide wire, or caused by other conditions, in order to contribute to improving the visibility in the X-ray moving images. The results showed a lower visual evaluation only in the vertical direction at the more rapid movement here, but this did not result in significant changes in the physical evaluation. This suggests that the structure and characteristics of the human eyes would be involved, as human vision is stronger with lateral movements and weaker with vertical movements due to the arrangement of the human eyes, side by side. Findings from this basic study can be utilized to improve the visibility in the X-ray moving images by paying attention to the observation environment of the observer of the X-ray moving images. In addition, the findings of this study can also be used to determine protocols for improving visibility in X-ray moving images, such as adjusting the X-ray dose in an X-ray device when further improvement is required. Therefore, this study was able to provide suggestions to contribute to the development of improved visibility of X-ray moving images.