title: Venous tree separation in the liver: graph partitioning using a non-ising model.
abstract: Entangled tree-like vascular systems are commonly found in the body (e.g., in the peripheries and lungs). Separation of these systems in medical images may be formulated as a graph partitioning problem given an imperfect segmentation and specification of the tree roots. In this work, we show that the ubiquitous Ising-model approaches (e.g., Graph Cuts, Random Walker) are not appropriate for tackling this problem and propose a novel method based on recursive minimal paths for doing so. To motivate our method, we focus on the intertwined portal and hepatic venous systems in the liver. Separation of these systems is critical for liver intervention planning, in particular when resection is involved. We apply our method to 34 clinical datasets, each containing well over a hundred vessel branches, demonstrating its effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Rd East, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. tom.odonnell@siemens.com
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: Jens N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Kaftan
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schuh
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tietjen
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soza
authors.forename: Til
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aach
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D010690:Phlebography / Q000379:methods*; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*