Linear measurement of polyps in CT colonography using level sets on 3D surfaces.
CT colonography has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to optical colonoscopy for the screening of polyps which are the precursors to colon cancer. Accurate polyp measurement is crucial as the size of a polyp is considered an indication of its potential for malignancy. We present a novel method for the automatic measurement of polyps. It is based on a level set algorithm capable of evolving on the surface of a 3D object represented by a triangular mesh. It is guided by curvature features and is capable of segmenting the polyp neck, that is, the ridgeline/crestline formed around the polyp by its merging to the colon wall. Our method was validated on 40 polyp surfaces obtained from real clinical data. A 3D manual measurement was used as the reference standard. A correlation of 0.825 was found between polyp measurements from our new method and the reference standard.
Tan
Sovira
S
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin diseases, National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, 10 Center Drive MSC 1182, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. tanso@mail.nih.gov
Yao
Jianhua
J
Ward
Michael M
MM
Summers
Ronald M
RM
D000465:Algorithms; D001331:Automation; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D023881:Colonography, Computed Tomographic / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D016014:Linear Models; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D012016:Reference Values; D012984:Software; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*