Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers (전자공학회논문지)

The Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers (대한전자공학회)
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Automatic Segmentation of Lung, Airway and Pulmonary Vessels using Morphology Information and Advanced Rolling Ball Algorithm

형태학 정보와 개선된 롤링 볼 알고리즘을 이용한 폐, 기관지 및 폐혈관 자동 분할

  • Cho, Joon-Ho (Department of Electronics Convergence Engineering, Wonkwang University)
  • 조준호 (원광대학교 전자융합공학과)
  • Received : 2013.11.12
  • Published : 2014.02.25
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Abstract

In this paper, the algorithm that can automatically segment the lung, the airway and the pulmonary vessels in a chest CT was proposed. The proposed method is progressed in three steps. In the first step, the lung and the airway are segmented by the region growing law through the optimal threshold and three-dimensional labeling. In the second, from the start point to the first carina of the airway is segmented by the deduction operation, and the next airway of the bifurcations are segmented by applying a variable threshold technique. In the third step, the left/right lungs are divided by the restoration process for the lung, and the outside of lungs for abnormal is checked by applying the advanced rolling ball algorithm, and if abnormal is found, that part is removed, and it is restored to the normal lungs by connecting the outside of the lung in the form of second-order polynomial. Finally, pulmonary vessels are segmented by applying the three-dimensional connected component labeling method and three-dimensional region growing method. As the results of simulation, it could be confirmed that the pulmonary vascular is accurately divided without loss of tissue around lung.

본 논문은 흉부 CT에서 폐, 기관지 및 폐혈관을 자동으로 분할 할 수 있는 알고리즘을 제안 하였다. 제안된 방법은 3단계로 진행된다. 첫째는 최적 임계값과 3차원 레이블링을 통한 영역성장법으로 폐 및 기관지를 분할한다. 둘째는 기관지의 형태학적 정보를 활용하여 기관지의 첫 번째 분기점(용골)까지는 차감연산으로, 이후부터는 가변적 임계값 기법을 적용하여 기관지를 분할한다. 셋째는 폐에 대한 복원 과정으로 좌/우측 폐를 분리하고, 개선된 롤링 볼 알고리즘을 적용하여 폐 외곽의 이상 유무를 확인하며, 이상이 발견되면 그 부분을 제거하고, 2차 다항식 형태로 폐 외곽을 연결시킴으로서 정상적인 폐로 복원한다. 마지막으로 폐혈관은 임계 값 기법의 3 차원 레이블링과 3 차원 영역성장법을 적용하여 분할하였다. 시뮬레이션 결과 폐 주변조직의 손실 없이 정확하게 분할됨을 확인 할 수 있었다.

Keywords

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