title: Improved segmentation of echocardiographic images using fusion of images from different cardiac cycles.
abstract: In this work, an algorithm for the detection of the left ventricular border in two-dimensional long axis echocardiographic images is presented. In its preprocessing stage, images fusion was applied to a sequence of images composed of three cardiac cycles. This method exploits the similarity of corresponding frames from different cycles and produces contrast enhancement in the left ventricular boundary. This result improves the performance of the segmentation stage which is based on watershed transformation. The obtained left ventricle border is quantitatively and qualitatively compared with contours manually segmented by a cardiologist, and with results obtained using seven different techniques from the literature.
authors: Electrical Engineering Department, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil. junieramorim@yahoo.com.br
authors: Junier Caminha
authors: JC
authors: Amorim
authors: Maria do Carmo
authors: Mdo C
authors: Dos Reis
authors: Joao Luiz Azevedo
authors: JL
authors: de Carvalho
authors: Adson Ferreira
authors: AF
authors: da Rocha
authors: Juliana Fernandes
authors: JF
authors: Camapum
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D055424:Cardiac-Gated Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013382:Subtraction Technique