Fast Surface Segmentation Guided by User Input Using Implicit Extension of Minimal Paths

We introduce a novel implicit approach for single object segmentation in 3D images. The boundary surface of this object is assumed to contain two or more known curves (the constraining curves), given by an expert. The aim of our method is to find the desired surface by exploiting the information given in the supplied curves as much as possible. We use a cost potential which penalizes image regions of low interest (for example areas of low gradient). In order to avoid local minima, we introduce a new partial differential equation and use its solution for segmentation. We show that the zero level set of this solution contains the constraining curves as well as a set of paths joining them. These paths globally minimize an energy which is defined from the cost potential. Our approach, although conceptually different, can be seen as an implicit extension to 3D of the minimal path framework already known for 2D image segmentation. As for this previous approach, and unlike other variational m...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2006
• Where: JMIV
• Authors: Roberto Ardon, Laurent D. Cohen, Anthony J. Yezzi
• Keywords: Cost Potential, Images, JMIV 2006, Single Object Segmentation