A computerized volumetric segmentation method applicable to multi-centre MRI data to support computer-aided breast tissue analysis, density assessment and lesion localization.
Density assessment and lesion localization in breast MRI require accurate segmentation of breast tissues. A fast, computerized algorithm for volumetric breast segmentation, suitable for multi-centre data, has been developed, employing 3D bias-corrected fuzzy c-means clustering and morphological operations. The full breast extent is determined on T1-weighted images without prior information concerning breast anatomy. Left and right breasts are identified separately using automatic detection of the midsternum. Statistical analysis of breast volumes from eighty-two women scanned in a UK multi-centre study of MRI screening shows that the segmentation algorithm performs well when compared with manually corrected segmentation, with high relative overlap (RO), high true-positive volume fraction (TPVF) and low false-positive volume fraction (FPVF), and has an overall performance of RO 0.94 ± 0.05, TPVF 0.97 ± 0.03 and FPVF 0.04 ± 0.06, respectively (training: 0.93 ± 0.05, 0.97 ± 0.03 and 0.04 ± 0.06; test: 0.94 ± 0.05, 0.98 ± 0.02 and 0.05 ± 0.07).
Cancer Research UK Cancer Imaging Centre, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP, UK.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Gokhan
G
Ertas
Cancer Research UK Cancer Imaging Centre, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP, UK. simon.doran@icr.ac.uk.
Simon J
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8569-9188
SJ
Doran
Cancer Research UK Cancer Imaging Centre, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, 123 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RP, UK.
Martin O
MO
Leach
D000465:Algorithms; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*
Breast; Fuzzy c-means; MRI; Multi-centre; Multi-instrument; Segmentation