title: Automated detection and volume measurement of plexiform neurofibromas in neurofibromatosis 1 using magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: An automated technique for segmentation and volumetric measurement of plexiform neurofibromas (PN) in neurofibromatosis 1 using short T1-inversion recovery magnetic resonance images is presented. The algorithm described implements heuristics derived from human-based recognition of lesions. This technique combines region-based with boundary-based segmentation. Two observers, who performed semi-automated volume calculations and manual tracings to estimate tumor volume, validated this method on 9 PNs of different size and location. This automated method was reproducible (coefficient of variation 0.6-5.6%), yielded similar results to manual tumor tracings (R = 0.999) and will likely improve the ability to measure PNs in ongoing clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Sensor Systems, Inc., 103A Carpenter Drive, Sterling, Virginia 20864, USA. jsolomon@sensor.com
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dombi
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patronas
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Widemann
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001331:Automation; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018318:Neurofibroma, Plexiform / Q000473:pathology*; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014481:United States