title: Automated liver segmentation for whole-body low-contrast CT images from PET-CT scanners.
abstract: Accurate objective automated liver segmentation in PET-CT studies is important to improve the identification and localization of hepatic tumor. However, this segmentation is an extremely challenging task from the low-contrast CT images captured from PET-CT scanners because of the intensity similarity between liver and adjacent loops of bowel, stomach and muscle. In this paper, we propose a novel automated three-stage liver segmentation technique for PET-CT whole body studies, where: 1) the starting liver slice is automatically localized based on the liver - lung relations; 2) the "masking" slice containing the biggest liver section is localized using the ratio of liver ROI size to the right half of abdomen ROI size; 3) the liver segmented from the "masking" slice forms the initial estimation or mask for the automated liver segmentation. Our experimental results from clinical PET-CT studies show that this method can automatically segment the liver for a range of different patients, with consistent objective selection criteria and reproducible accurate results.
authors: The Biomedical and Multimedia Information Technology (BMIT) Research Group, School of Information Technologies, University of Sydney, Australia. xiuying@it.usyd.edu.au
authors: Xiuying
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Changyang
authors: C
authors: Li
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Eberl
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Fulham
authors: Dagan
authors: D
authors: Feng
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D001331:Automation; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011187:Posture; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*