title: Automated brain extraction from T2-weighted magnetic resonance images.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop and implement an automated and robust technique to extract brain from T2-weighted images.
  
  
  METHODS
  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on 75 adult volunteers to acquire dual fast spin echo (FSE) images with fat-saturation technique on a 3T Philips scanner. Histogram-derived thresholds were derived directly from the original images followed by the application of regional labeling, regional connectivity, and mathematical morphological operations to extract brain from axial late-echo FSE (T2-weighted) images. The proposed technique was evaluated subjectively by an expert and quantitatively using Bland-Altman plot and Jaccard and Dice similarity measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Excellent agreement between the extracted brain volumes with the proposed technique and manual stripping by an expert was observed based on Bland-Altman plot and also as assessed by high similarity indices (Jaccard: 0.9825 ± 0.0045; Dice: 0.9912 ± 0.0023).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Brain extraction using the proposed automated methodology is robust and the results are reproducible.
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, University of Texas Health Science Center Medical School, Houston, TX, USA. Sushmita.Datta@uth.tmc.edu
authors: Sushmita
authors: S
authors: Datta
authors: Ponnada A
authors: PA
authors: Narayana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001331:Automation; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software