AbstractsComputer Science

Automatic vertebrae detection and labeling in sagittal magnetic resonance images

by Daniel Andersson




Institution: Linköping University
Department:
Year: 2015
Keywords: Machine learning; Image processing; Object detection; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Histogram of Gradients; Deformable Part Models; Natural Sciences; Computer and Information Science; Computer Engineering; Naturvetenskap; Data- och informationsvetenskap; Datorteknik; Medicinsk informatik; Medical Informatics
Record ID: 1345790
Full text PDF: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-115874


Abstract

Radiologists are often plagued by limited time for completing their work, with an ever increasing workload. A picture archiving and communication system (PACS) is a platform for daily image reviewing that improves their work environment, and on that platform for example spinal MR images can be reviewed. When reviewing spinal images a radiologist wants vertebrae labels, and in Sectra's PACS platform there is a good opportunity for implementing an automatic method for spinal labeling. In this thesis a method for performing automatic spinal labeling, called a vertebrae classifier, is presented. This method should remove the need for radiologists to perform manual spine labeling, and could be implemented in Sectra's PACS software to improve radiologists overall work experience.Spine labeling is the process of marking vertebrae centres with a name on a spinal image. The method proposed in this thesis for performing that process was developed using a machine learning approach for vertebrae detection in sagittal MR images. The developed classifier works for both the lumbar and the cervical spine, but it is optimized for the lumbar spine. During the development three different methods for the purpose of vertebrae detection were evaluated. Detection is done on multiple sagittal slices. The output from the detection is then labeled using a pictorial structure based algorithm which uses a trained model of the spine to correctly assess correct labeling. The suggested method achieves 99.6% recall and 99.9% precision for the lumbar spine. The cervical spine achieves slightly worse performance, with 98.1% for both recall and precision. This result was achieved by training the proposed method on 43 images and validated with 89 images for the lumbar spine. The cervical spine was validated using 26 images. These results are promising, especially for the lumbar spine. However, further evaluation is needed to test the method in a clinical setting. ; Radiologer får bara mindre och mindre tid för att utföra sina arbetsuppgifter, då arbetsbördan bara blir större. Ett picture archiving and communication system (PACS) är en platform där radiologer kan undersöka medicinska bilder, däribland magnetic resonance (MR) bilder av ryggraden. När radiologerna tittar på dessa bilder av ryggraden vill de att kotorna ska vara markerade med sina namn, och i Sectra's PACS platform finns det en bra möjlighet för att implementera en automatisk metod för att namnge ryggradens kotor på bilden. I detta examensarbete presenteras en metod för att automatiskt markera alla kotorna utifrån saggitala MR bilder. Denna metod kan göra så att radiologer inte längre behöver manuellt markera kotor, och den skulle kunna implementeras i Sectra's PACS för att förbättra radiologernas arbetsmiljö. Det som menas med att markera kotor är att man ger mitten av alla kotor ett namn utifrån en MR bild på ryggraden. Metoden som presenteras i detta arbete kan utföra detta med hjälp av ett "machine learning" arbetssätt. Metoden fungerar både för övre och nedre…