A hybrid 3D watershed algorithm incorporating gradient cues and object models for automatic segmentation of nuclei in confocal image stacks
A hybrid 3D watershed algorithm incorporating gradient cues and object models for automatic segmentation of nuclei in confocal image stacks
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DOI：
10.1002/cyto.a.10079
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发表时间：
2003-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Roysam, B
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lin, G;Adiga, U;Roysam, B
背景：三维共聚焦显微镜图像中荧光标记细胞核的自动分割对许多涉及形态和功能分析的研究至关重要。分割错误的一个常见来源是核的紧密聚类。为了构建高度自动化的评分系统，我们迫切需要将这些错误最小化。方法：提出了两种方法的结合。首先，将强度梯度和几何距离相结合的改进距离变换用于分水岭步骤，其次，将细胞核的大小和形状等解剖特征的显式数学模型纳入其中。该模型是根据数据自动构建的。对图像数据进行有意的初始过分割，然后进行基于统计模型的合并。计算每个检测到的核的置信度分数，测量核与模型的拟合程度。这与强度梯度结合使用来控制合并决策。结果：一组啮齿类动物脑细胞图像的实验验证与人类观察者的一致性为97%，比先前的方法有显着改进。结论：将梯度加权距离变换与更丰富的形态计量模型相结合，可显著提高自动分割和FISH分析的准确性。cell cell cell：细胞计数技术(C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc。
Background: Automated segmentation of fluorescently-labeled cell nuclei in 3D confocal microscope images is essential to many studies involving morphological and functional analysis. A common source of segmentation error is tight clustering of nuclei. There is a compelling need to minimize these errors for constructing highly automated scoring systems.Methods: A combination of two approaches is presented. First, an improved distance transform combining intensity gradients and geometric distance is used for the watershed step, Second, an explicit mathematical model for the anatomic characteristics of cell nuclei such as size and shape measures is incorporated. This model is constructed automatically from the data. Deliberate initial over-segmentation of the image data is performed, followed by statistical model-based merging. A confidence score is computed for each detected nucleus, measuring how well the nucleus fits the model. This is used in combination with the intensity gradient to control the merge decisions.Results: Experimental validation on a set of rodent brain cell images showed 97% concordance with the human observer and significant improvement over prior methods.Conclusions: Combining a gradient-weighted distance transform with a richer morphometric model significantly improves the accuracy of automated segmentation and FISH analysis. Cytometry Part A 56A:23-36, 2003. (C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.