Automatic segmentation of the lumen of the carotid artery in ultrasound B-mode images

André M. F. Santos; Jão Manuel R. S. Tavares; Luísa Sousa; Rosa Santos; Pedro Castro; Elsa Azevedo

doi:10.1117/12.2007259

28 February 2013 Automatic segmentation of the lumen of the carotid artery in ultrasound B-mode images

André M. F. Santos, Jão Manuel R. S. Tavares, Luísa Sousa, Rosa Santos, Pedro Castro, Elsa Azevedo

Proceedings Volume 8670, Medical Imaging 2013: Computer-Aided Diagnosis; 86703I (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2007259
Event: SPIE Medical Imaging, 2013, Lake Buena Vista (Orlando Area), Florida, United States

Abstract

A new algorithm is proposed for the segmentation of the lumen and bifurcation boundaries of the carotid artery in B-mode ultrasound images. It uses the hipoechogenic characteristics of the lumen for the identification of the carotid boundaries and the echogenic characteristics for the identification of the bifurcation boundaries. The image to be segmented is processed with the application of an anisotropic diffusion filter for speckle removal and morphologic operators are employed in the detection of the artery. The obtained information is then used in the definition of two initial contours, one corresponding to the lumen and the other to the bifurcation boundaries, for the posterior application of the Chan-vese level set segmentation model. A set of longitudinal B-mode images of the common carotid artery (CCA) was acquired with a GE Healthcare Vivid-e ultrasound system (GE Healthcare, United Kingdom). All the acquired images include a part of the CCA and of the bifurcation that separates the CCA into the internal and external carotid arteries. In order to achieve the uppermost robustness in the imaging acquisition process, i.e., images with high contrast and low speckle noise, the scanner was adjusted differently for each acquisition and according to the medical exam. The obtained results prove that we were able to successfully apply a carotid segmentation technique based on cervical ultrasonography. The main advantage of the new segmentation method relies on the automatic identification of the carotid lumen, overcoming the limitations of the traditional methods.

Citation Download Citation

André M. F. Santos, Jão Manuel R. S. Tavares, Luísa Sousa, Rosa Santos, Pedro Castro, and Elsa Azevedo "Automatic segmentation of the lumen of the carotid artery in ultrasound B-mode images", Proc. SPIE 8670, Medical Imaging 2013: Computer-Aided Diagnosis, 86703I (28 February 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2007259

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available