Atlas-Based Segmentation of the Germinal Matrix from in Utero Clinical MRI of the Fetal Brain

  • Authors:

  • Piotr A. Habas;Kio Kim;Francois Rousseau;Orit A. Glenn;A. James Barkovich;Colin Studholme

  • Affiliations:

  • Biomedical Image Computing Group, and Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA CA 94143;Biomedical Image Computing Group, and Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA CA 94143;LSIIT, UMR CNRS/ULP 7005, Illkirch, France 67412;Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA CA 94143;Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA CA 94143;Biomedical Image Computing Group, and Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA CA 94143

  • Venue:
  • MICCAI '08 Proceedings of the 11th international conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention - Part I
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

Recently developed techniques for reconstruction of high-resolution 3D images from fetal MR scans allows us to study the morphometry of developing brain tissues in utero. However, existing adult brain analysis methods cannot be directly applied as the anatomy of the fetal brain is significantly different in terms of geometry and tissue morphology. We describe an approach to atlas-based segmentation of the fetal brain with particular focus on the delineation of the germinal matrix, a transient structure related to brain growth. We segment 3D images reconstructed from in utero clinical MR scans and measure volumes of different brain tissue classes for a group of fetal subjects at gestational age 20.5---22.5 weeks. We also include a partial validation of the approach using manual tracing of the germinal matrix at different gestational ages.