Streamline flows for white matter fibre pathway segmentation in diffusion MRI

Med Image Comput Comput Assist Interv. 2008;11(Pt 1):135-43. doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-85988-8_17.

Abstract

We introduce a fibre tract segmentation algorithm based on the geometric coherence of fibre orientations as indicated by a streamline flow model. The inference of local flow approximations motivates a pairwise consistency measure between fibre ODF maxima. We use this measure in a recursive algorithm to cluster consistent ODF maxima, leading to the segmentation of white matter pathways. The method requires minimal seeding compared to streamline tractography-based methods, and allows multiple tracts to pass through the same voxels. We illustrate the approach with a segmentation of the corpus callosum and one of the cortico-spinal tract, with each example seeded at a single voxel.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Artificial Intelligence*
  • Corpus Callosum / anatomy & histology*
  • Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement / methods
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / ultrastructure*
  • Pattern Recognition, Automated / methods*
  • Pyramidal Tracts / anatomy & histology*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity