Geometric Representation Of The Pelvic Organs

Keywords

3-D reconstruction; Gap; Image data set; Image stack; Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); Segmentation; Slice thickness; Source image; Voxel dimensions

Abstract

This chapter is designed to help the reader become familiar with standard methods for describing pelvic organ geometry, suitable for biomechanical computational analysis.To perform structural engineering analysis of the pelvic floor tissues, they must first be represented geometrically. This is done via a technique called segmentation, in which individual organs and/or tissue elements are outlined, and given unique labels. The interesting tissues are usually identified on standard radiologic image stacks - usually magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scans. The goal of segmentation is to identify a desired tissue on the original (grayscale) image, and trace out (or label) its boundaries. For each organ or tissue of interest, the labeling is performed, either manually or semiautomatically.Because pelvic floor structures exist in a three-dimensional (3-D) space, it is necessary to represent the tissues as 3-D structures. This 3-D representation is facilitated by the method of acquiring MRI and CT image data.Both CT and MRI will produce grayscale source image data sets. Each data set consists of a "stack" of 2-D images, covering the region of the body that was scanned. The extent of the scanned region is called the field of view, and the grayscale images are sometimes referred to as the source images.This chapter will discuss the geometric representation of pelvic floor MRI grayscale data, as well as the segmentation of this data to produce labelmaps suitable for computational analysis and 3-D reconstruction of the organs and tissues of interest. Manual, semiautomatic, and automatic segmentation methods will be briefly introduced, in preparation for a more detailed discussion of automated segmentation in a later chapter. The chapter will conclude with a review of the trade-offs between the segmentation methods, and discussion of the issues with repeatability, reliability, and fidelity of these methods.The chapter focuses on MRI source data, with the understanding that the general principles will apply to CT sourced images as well.

Publication Date

3-23-2016

Publication Title

Biomechanics of the Female Pelvic Floor

Number of Pages

291-306

Document Type

Article; Book Chapter

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803228-2.00014-3

Socpus ID

84969724094 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84969724094

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