Interactive segmentation of brain tumors in MR images using 3D region growing
James E. Cabral, Keith S. White, Yongmin Kim, Eric L. Effmann · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1993
We have developed an interactive software package designed to assist the radiologist in tissue segmentation for volumetric determination. Our algorithms treat a group of stacked images as a single volume, extending the concepts of traditional region growing and thresholding into three dimensions. Preliminary results from phantom studies indicate that, relative to conventional manual tracking techniques, the benefits of 3D region growing and thresholding include reduced time expenditure and improved determination of contiguous regions. However, heterogeneous signals and poor contrast may limit the usefulness of the automated segmentation algorithm alone. Therefore, several manual editing tools are included. When the automated segmentation tools are coupled with simple editing tools, accuracy of tissue segmentation in the phantom is equal or better than manual tracing alone with significant time savings.