Segmentation and tracking in echocardiographic sequences: Active contours guided by optical flow estimates
Segmentation and tracking in echocardiographic sequences: Active contours guided by optical flow estimates
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DOI：
10.1109/42.700739
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发表时间：
1998-04-01
影响因子：
10.6
通讯作者：
Thomas, JD
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mikic, I;Krucinski, S;Thomas, JD
本文提出了一种超声图像序列中心脏结构的分割和跟踪方法。所开发的算法是基于活动轮廓框架。这种方法要求轮廓的初始位置接近图像中的期望位置，通常是对象轮廓。然后计算最佳轮廓形状和位置，假设在此配置下，与轮廓相关联的全局能量函数达到其最小值。主动轮廓可以通过从先前帧中选择解作为当前帧中的初始位置来用于跟踪。然而，这种方法对于感兴趣对象的大位移是失败的。本文提出了一种技术，将像素速度（光流）的信息到初始轮廓的估计，使快速移动的物体的跟踪。该算法进行了测试的几个超声图像序列，每个覆盖一个完整的心动周期。轮廓成功跟踪二尖瓣瓣叶、主动脉根部和左心室内膜边界的边界，将算法生成的轮廓与专家医生的手动描记进行比较。自动化方法产生的轮廓在观察者内变异的边界内。
This paper presents a method for segmentation and tracking of cardiac structures in ultrasound image sequences. The developed algorithm is based on the active contour framework. This approach requires initial placement of the contour close to the desired position in the image, usually an object outline. Best contour shape and position are then calculated, assuming that at this configuration a global energy function, associated with a contour, attains its minimum. Active contours can be used for tracking by selecting a solution from a previous frame as an initial position in a present frame. Such an approach, however, fails for large displacements of the object of interest. This paper presents a technique that incorporates the information on pixel velocities (optical flow) into the estimate of initial contour to enable tracking of fast-moving objects. The algorithm was tested on several ultrasound image sequences, each covering one complete cardiac cycle. The contour successfully tracked boundaries of mitral valve leaflets, aortic root and endocardial borders of the left ventricle, The algorithm-generated outlines were compared against manual tracings by expert physicians. The automated method resulted in contours that were within the boundaries of intraobserver variability.