CoroJA_RetinaNet: A Multiscale Attention-Guided Framework for Automated Coronary Plaque Detection in CTA Images

Authors

  • Xuan Nie Northwestern Polytechnical University
  • Teng Li Northwestern Polytechnical University https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1104-6612
  • Yinan Yuan Northwestern Polytechnical University
  • Zichen Yan Northwestern Polytechnical University https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1755-9309
  • Yiwen Liu Northwestern Polytechnical University
  • Guangpu Zhou Northwestern Polytechnical University
  • Bosong Chai Zhejiang University

Keywords:

Coronary plaque detection, Coronary heart disease, Surface reconstruction, Attention mechanism

Abstract

Coronary heart disease is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases. Currently, CTA imaging has become the most widely used modality for its diagnosis. The detection of coronary plaque is an important basis for accurate diagnosis. In order to further improve the accuracy and efficiency of coronary plaque detection, this study proposes a series of automatic detection methods for coronary plaque based on deep learning. The approach begins by segmenting coronary arteries using a Transformer model integrated with an multi-resolution overlapping attention mechanism, thereby reducing interference in plaque detection. Subsequently, a two-stage hybrid strategy is employed for centerline extraction and optimization, and a multi-angle straightened surface reconstruction method is proposed to generate high-quality data for plaque detection. An improved RetinaNet (CoroJA_RetinaNet) is developed, integrating an attention mechanism, enhanced feature pyramid networks, and optimized post-processing strategies. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method significantly improves the accuracy and efficiency of coronary plaque detection compared to traditional approaches.

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Author Biographies

Xuan Nie, Northwestern Polytechnical University

Xuan Nie holds a Ph.D. in Computer Application Technology from Northwestern Polytechnical University.His research interests include computer vision, intelligent car assisted driving ADAS3, artificial intelligence, and medical imaging big data processing and analysis (coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction,and Parkinson's disease assisted discrimination).

Teng Li, Northwestern Polytechnical University

Teng Li is from school of software, Northwestern Polytechnical University. Her research interests include computer vision, artificial intelligence, and medical imaging big data processing and analysis.

Yinan Yuan, Northwestern Polytechnical University

Yinan Yuan is from school of software, Northwestern Polytechnical University.His research interests include computer vision, artificial intelligence, and medical imaging big data processing and analysis.

Zichen Yan, Northwestern Polytechnical University

Zichen Yan is from school of software, Northwestern Polytechnical University.His research interests include computer vision, artificial intelligence, and medical imaging big data processing and analysis.

Yiwen Liu, Northwestern Polytechnical University

Yiwen Liu is from school of software, Northwestern Polytechnical University.His research interests include computer vision, artificial intelligence, and medical imaging big data processing and analysis.

Guangpu Zhou, Northwestern Polytechnical University

Guangpu Zhou holds a M.S. degree in software engineering from Northwestern Polytechnical University. His research interests include computer vision, artificial intelligence, and medical imaging big data processing and analysis.

Bosong Chai, Zhejiang University

Bosong Chai was born in 1996. He received the B.S. degree from Lanzhou University in 2019, the M.S. degree from Northwestern Polytechnical University in 2023. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D degree in the College of Computer Science and Technology at Zhejiang University. His research interests include Brain-inspired Computing and Computer Vision.

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Published

2025-11-01

How to Cite

Nie, X., Li, T., Yuan, Y., Yan, Z., Liu, Y., Zhou, G., & Chai, B. (2025). CoroJA_RetinaNet: A Multiscale Attention-Guided Framework for Automated Coronary Plaque Detection in CTA Images. IEEE Latin America Transactions, 23(12), 1152–1162. Retrieved from https://latamt.ieeer9.org/index.php/transactions/article/view/9889