Visualizing narrowing of the carotid artery

Computer scientist Dr Pepe Eulzer from the University of Jena has been awarded a prestigious international prize in the field of visual data analysis. He was honoured with the VRVis Visual Computing Award 2025, endowed with 5,000 euros, on 30 January at the "Visual Computing Trends 2025" symposium in Vienna. The award honours Pepe Eulzer's research findings in the field of visualizing carotid arteries – narrowing of the two major arteries supplying the brain that can lead to strokes.

"The VRVis Award honours work that uses visual computing to create sustainable solutions in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. One of these goals is to ensure a healthy life and promote well-being for all people of all ages. The award emphasizes that we were able to make an active contribution to this with our project, which makes me very happy and means a lot to me," says Eulzer.

His award-winning work was carried out in the project "Data- and simulation-based exploration, analysis and treatment of vasoconstriction for the prevention of ischaemic strokes", which is led by Jena visualisation expert Prof. Dr Kai Lawonn.

Facilitating risk assessment

As part of this project, Pepe Eulzer has developed a software framework that supports the analysis of carotid stenoses. Treating such stenoses is not easy, as the risk of stroke must be weighed against the risk of complications from surgery. It is therefore particularly important to correctly assess the risk of a stenosis.

"Our main aim was to close the gaps between modern, computer-aided analysis methods and clinical practice," says Eulzer. "To do this, we worked closely with clinical partners and tried to expand the diagnostic possibilities, taking into account the real limitations in the healthcare system." In an integrated processing pipeline, the complex image processing and blood flow simulation were integrated into practical clinical tools and thus made applicable. "For example, the framework contains tools for automatic, objective stenosis classification and blood flow analysis," explains the computer science expert.