Automatic fascicle length estimation on muscle ultrasound images with an orientation-sensitive segmentation

摘要

Goal: The fascicle length obtained by ultrasound imaging is one of the crucial muscle architecture parameters for understanding the contraction mechanics and pathological conditions of muscles. However, the lack of a reliable automatic measurement method restricts the application of the fascicle length for the analysis of the muscle function, as frame-by-frame manual measurement is time-consuming. In this study, we propose an automatic measurement method to preclude the influence of nonfascicle components on the estimation of the fascicle length by using motion estimation of fascicle structures.