title: An automatic method for colon segmentation in CT colonography.
abstract: An automatic method for the segmentation of the colonic wall is proposed for abdominal computed tomography (CT) of the cleansed and air-inflated colon. This multistage approach uses an adaptive 3D region-growing algorithm, with a self-adjusting growing condition depending on local variations of the intensity at the air-tissue boundary. The method was evaluated using retrospectively collected CT scans based on visual segmentation of the colon by expert radiologists. This evaluation showed that the procedure identifies 97% of the colon segments, representing 99.8% of the colon surface, and accurately replicates the anatomical profile of the colonic wall. The parameter settings and performance of the method are relatively independent of the scanner and acquisition conditions. The method is intended for application to the computer-aided detection of polyps in CT colonography.
authors.affiliation: im3D S.p.A. Medical Imaging Lab, Via Lessolo 3, 10153 Torino, Italy. alberto.bert@i-m3d.com
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bert
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dmitriev
authors.forename: Silvano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agliozzo
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pietrosemoli
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mandelkern
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Regge
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D003106:Colon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D023881:Colonography, Computed Tomographic / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity