title: Renal Segmentation From 3D Ultrasound via Fuzzy Appearance Models and Patient-Specific Alpha Shapes.
abstract: Ultrasound (US) imaging is the primary imaging modality for pediatric hydronephrosis, which manifests as the dilation of the renal collecting system (CS). In this paper, we present a new framework for the segmentation of renal structures, kidney and CS, from 3DUS scans. First, the kidney is segmented using an active shape model-based approach, tailored to deal with the challenges raised by US images. A weighted statistical shape model allows to compensate the image variation with the propagation direction of the US wavefront. The model is completed with a new fuzzy appearance model and a multi-scale omnidirectional Gabor-based appearance descriptor. Next, the CS is segmented using an active contour formulation, which combines contour- and intensity-based terms. The new positive alpha detector presented here allows to control the propagation process by means of a patient-specific stopping function created from the bands of adipose tissue within the kidney. The performance of the new segmentation approach was evaluated on a dataset of 39 cases, showing an average Dice's coefficient of 0.86±0.05 for the kidney, and 0.74 ± 0.10 for the CS segmentation, respectively. These promising results demonstrate the potential utility of this framework for the US-based assessment of the severity of pediatric hydronephrosis.
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cerrolaza
authors.forename: Nabile
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Safdar
authors.forename: Elijah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biggs
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jago
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Marius George
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Linguraru
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D017143:Fuzzy Logic; D006801:Humans; D006869:Hydronephrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007668:Kidney / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*