In this paper, we propose a novel region-based active contour model for image segmentation with a variational level set formulation. By introducing a local binary fitting energy, the proposed method is able to utilize accurate local image information for accurate recovery of desired object boundary. Our method is able to segment images with intensity inhomogeneity, weak object boundaries, and vessel-like structures. Comparison with typical region based active contour models, such as piecewise constant model and piecewise smooth model, shows the advantages of our method in terms of computational efficiency and accuracy. In addition, the proposed method has promising application for image denoising. Our method has been successfully applied to synthetic and real images in different modalities.
Chunming Li, Chiu-Yen Kao, John C. Gore, Zhaohua D