Iterative fully convolutional neural networks for automatic vertebra segmentation and identification

Segmentation and identification of the vertebrae is often a prerequisite for automatic analysis of the spine, such as detection of vertebral fractures (Yao et  al., 2012), assessment of spinal deformities (Forsberg et al., 2013), or computer-assisted surgical interventions (Knez et al., 2016). Automatic spine analysis can be performed with a large variety of tomographic scans, including dedicated spine scans but also scans of the neck, chest or abdomen that incidentally cover part of the spine. A generic vertebra segmentation algorithm therefore needs to be robust with respect to different image resolutions and different coverages of the spine.

Source: Medical Image Analysis - February 12, 2019 Category: Radiology Authors: Nikolas Lessmann, Bram van Ginneken, Pim A. de Jong, Ivana I šgum Source Type: research