Fuzzy-Snake Segmentation of Anatomical Structures Applied to CT Images

  • Gloria Bueno
  • Antonio Martínez-Albalá
  • Antonio Adán
Part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science book series (LNCS, volume 3212)

Abstract

This paper presents a generic strategy to facilitate the segmentation of anatomical structures in medical images. The segmentation is performed using an adapted PDM by fuzzy c-means classification, which also uses the fuzzy decision to evolve PDM into the final contour. Furthermore, the fuzzy reasoning exploits \(\it{a}\) \(\it{priori}\) statistical information from several knowledge sources based on histogram analysis and the intensity values of the structures under consideration. The fuzzy reasoning is also applied and compared to a geometrical active contour model (or level set). The method has been developed to assist clinicians and radiologists in conformal RTP. Experimental results and their quantitative validation to assess the accuracy and efficiency are given segmenting the bladder on CT images. To assess precision, results are also presented in CT images with added Gaussian noise. The fuzzy-snake is free of parameter and it is able to properly segment the structures by using the same initial spline curve for a whole study image-patient set.

Keywords

Active Contour Model Fuzzy Reasoning Radiotherapy Treatment Planning Manual Delineation Pelvic Area 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004

Authors and Affiliations

  • Gloria Bueno
    • 1
  • Antonio Martínez-Albalá
    • 1
  • Antonio Adán
    • 1
  1. 1.E.T.S.I. IndustrialesUniversidad de Castilla-La ManchaCiudad Real - E

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