On March 18th 2024 at 17::00, Pieter Boonen will defend their PhD entitled “4D-CT for Detailed Diagnosis of Peripheral Arterial Disease and Diabetic Foot Ulcers. Is it worth our time?”.

Everybody is invited to attend the presentation at the Auditorium Piet Brouwer (Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy), or digitally via this link.

 Peripheral arterial disease affects over 230 million people globally, causing arterial narrowing in the legs which can lead to a reduced blood flow and tissue damage. When combined with poorly managed diabetes, it can lead to serious issues like diabetic foot ulcers that may require amputation if untreated.
The current imaging methods, such as computed tomography angiography and magnetic resonance angiography lack hemodynamic information on the blood flow and tissue perfusion which can be crucial for diagnosing vascular disease and treatment monitoring.
This PhD thesis explores the application of a new technique called 4D-CT for diagnosing peripheral arterial disease and diabetic foot ulcers. By capturing multiple CT volumes over the same structure, the injected contrast bolus can be tracked through arteries and tissue.
Through a series of phantom and clinical studies, this thesis explored the feasibility of applying 4D-CT to measure and visualise the arterial blood flow and to examine the effect of peripheral arterial disease on the blood flow. An automated image processing pipeline was developed to segment arteries and tissues, facilitating the quantification of blood flow. The results of this thesis highlight the potential of 4D-CT in the diagnosis of vascular disease.