A framework for quantification and visualization of segmentation accuracy and variability in 3D lateral ventricle ultrasound images of preterm neonates

摘要

Purpose: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a major cause of brain injury in preterm neonates. Three dimensional ultrasound (US) imaging systems have been developed to visualize 3D anatomical structure of preterm neonatal intracranial ventricular system with IVH and ventricular dilation. To allow quantitative analysis, the ventricle system is required to be segmented accurately and efficiently from 3D US images. Although semiautomatic segmentation algorithms have been developed, local segmentation accuracy and variability associated with these algorithms should be evaluated statistically before they can be applied in clinical settings. This work proposes a statistical framework to quantify the local accuracy and variability and performs statistical tests to identify locations where the semiautomatically segmented surfaces are significantly different from manually segmented surfaces.