title: Multicenter trial of automated border detection in cardiac MR imaging.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the robustness of a method of automated border detection in cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Thirty-seven short-axis spin-echo cardiac images were acquired from three medical centers, each with its own image-acquisition protocol. Endo- and epicardial borders and areas were derived from these images with a graph-searching-based method of edge detection. Computer results were compared with observer-traced borders. The method accurately defined myocardial borders in 36 of 37 images (97%), with excellent agreement between computer- and observer-derived endocardial and epicardial areas (correlation coefficients, .94-.99). The algorithm worked equally well for data from all three centers, despite differences in image-acquisition protocols, MR systems, and field strengths. These data suggest that a method of computer-assisted edge detection based on graph-searching principles yields endocardial and epicardial areas that correlate well with those derived by an independent observer.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242-1182.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Fleagle
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Thedens
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stanford
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Pettigrew
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Reichek
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Skorton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*