title: Joint 3-D vessel segmentation and centerline extraction using oblique Hough forests with steerable filters.
abstract: We propose a novel framework for joint 3-D vessel segmentation and centerline extraction. The approach is based on multivariate Hough voting and oblique random forests (RFs) that we learn from noisy annotations. It relies on steerable filters for the efficient computation of local image features at different scales and orientations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We validate both the segmentation performance and the centerline accuracy of our approach both on synthetic vascular data and four 3-D imaging datasets of the rat visual cortex at 700 nm resolution. First, we evaluate the most important structural components of our approach: (1) Orthogonal subspace filtering in comparison to steerable filters that show, qualitatively, similarities to the eigenspace filters learned from local image patches. (2) Standard RF against oblique RF. Second, we compare the overall approach to different state-of-the-art methods for (1) vessel segmentation based on optimally oriented flux (OOF) and the eigenstructure of the Hessian, and (2) centerline extraction based on homotopic skeletonization and geodesic path tracing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our experiments reveal the benefit of steerable over eigenspace filters as well as the advantage of oblique split directions over univariate orthogonal splits. We further show that the learning-based approach outperforms different state-of-the-art methods and proves highly accurate and robust with regard to both vessel segmentation and centerline extraction in spite of the high level of label noise in the training data.
authors.affiliation: Computer Vision Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Sternwartstrasse 7, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: schneider@vision.ee.ethz.ch.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Computer Vision Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Sternwartstrasse 7, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Applied Simulation, ZHAW Wädenswil, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Computer Vision Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Sternwartstrasse 7, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Székely
authors.affiliation: Computer Vision Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Sternwartstrasse 7, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Computer Science, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 2a, 85748 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: Bjoern H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Menze
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D059925:Anatomic Landmarks / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000818:Animals; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
keywords: Centerline extraction; Multivariate Hough voting; Oblique random forest; Steerable filters; Vessel segmentation