Si Yong Yeo

Geometrically Induced Force Interaction for Three-Dimensional Deformable Models

In this paper, we propose a novel 3-D deformable model that is based upon a geometrically induced external force field which can be conveniently generalized to arbitrary dimensions. This external force field is based upon hypothesized interactions between the relative geometries of the deformable model and the object boundary characterized by image gradient. The evolution of the deformable model is solved using the level set method so that topological changes are handled automatically. The relative geometrical configurations between the deformable model and the object boundaries contribute to a dynamic vector force field that changes accordingly as the deformable model evolves. The geometrically induced dynamic interaction force has been shown to greatly improve the deformable model performance in acquiring complex geometries and highly concave boundaries, and it gives the deformable model a high invariancy in initialization configurations. The voxel interactions across the whole image domain provide a global view of the object boundary representation, giving the external force a long attraction range. The bidirectionality of the external force field allows the new deformable model to deal with arbitrary cross-boundary initializations, and facilitates the handling of weak edges and broken boundaries. In addition, we show that by enhancing the geometrical interaction field with a nonlocal edge-preserving algorithm, the new deformable model can effectively overcome image noise. We provide a comparative study on the segmentation of various geometries with different topologies from both synthetic and real images, and show that the proposed method achieves significant improvements against existing image gradient techniques.

Geometric Potential Force for the Deformable Model

We propose a new external force field for deformable models which can be conveniently generalized to high dimensions. The external force field is based on hypothesized interactions between the relative geometries of the deformable model and image gradients. The evolution of the deformable model is solved using the level set method. The dynamic interaction forces between the geometries can greatly improve the deformable model performance in acquiring complex geometries and highly concave boundaries, and in dealing with weak image edges. The new deformable model can handle arbitrary cross-boundary initializations. Here, we show that the proposed method achieve significant improvements when compared against existing state-of-the-art techniques.

Segmentation of biomedical images using active contour model with robust image feature and shape prior

In this article, a new level set model is proposed for the segmentation of biomedical images. The image energy of the proposed model is derived from a robust image gradient feature which gives the active contour a global representation of the geometric configuration, making it more robust in dealing with image noise, weak edges, and initial configurations. Statistical shape information is incorporated using nonparametric shape density distribution, which allows the shape model to handle relatively large shape variations. The segmentation of various shapes from both synthetic and real images depict the robustness and efficiency of the proposed method.

Level set segmentation with robust image gradient energy and statistical shape prior

We propose a new level set segmentation method with statistical shape prior using a variational approach. The image energy is derived from a robust image gradient feature. This gives the active contour a global representation of the geometric configuration, making it more robust to image noise, weak edges and initial configurations. Statistical shape information is incorporated using nonparametric shape density distribution, which allows the model to handle relatively large shape variations. Comparative examples using both synthetic and real images show the robustness and efficiency of the proposed method.

Image Gradient Based Level Set Methods in 2D and 3D

This chapter presents an image gradient based approach to perform 2D and 3D deformable model segmentation using level set. The 2D method uses an external force field that is based on magnetostatics and hypothesized magnetic interactions between the active contour and object boundaries. The major contribution of the method is that the interaction of its forces can greatly improve the active contour in capturing complex geometries and dealing with difficult initializations, weak edges and broken boundaries. This method is then generalized to 3D by reformulating its external force based on geometrical interactions between the relative geometries of the deformable model and the object boundary characterized by image gradient. The evolution of the deformable model is solved using the level set method so that topological changes are handled automatically. The relative geometrical configurations between the deformable model and the object boundaries contribute to a dynamic vector force field that changes accordingly as the deformable model evolves. The geometrically induced dynamic interaction force has been shown to greatly improve the deformable model performance in acquiring complex geometries and highly concave boundaries, and it gives the deformable model a high invariancy in initialization configurations. The voxel interactions across the whole image domain provide a global view of the object boundary representation, giving the external force a long attraction range. The bidirectionality of the external force field allows the new deformable model to deal with arbitrary cross-boundary initializations, and facilitates the handling of weak edges and broken boundaries.

Segmenting Carotid in CT Using Geometric Potential Field Deformable Model

We present a method for the reconstruction of vascular geometries from medical images. Image denoising is performed using vessel enhancing diffusion, which can smooth out image noise and enhance vessel structures. The Canny edge detection technique, which produces object edges with single pixel width, is used for accurate detection of the lumen boundaries. The image gradients are then used to compute the geometric potential field which gives a global representation of the geometric configuration. The deformable model uses a regional constraint to suppress calcified regions for accurate segmentation of the vessel geometries. The proposed framework shows high accuracy when applied to the segmentation of the carotid arteries from CT images.

Scan-Based Flow Modelling in Human Upper Airways

In this chapter, an overview of a scan-based modelling technique to investigate the air flow and heat transfer in a human upper respiratory system is presented. The scan-based modelling process includes image segmentation, producing a valid mesh for analysis and flow modelling. All the three aspects are briefly discussed in this work.