Bone segmentation applying rigid bone position and triple shadow check method based on RF data.

Noninvasive 3D reconstruction of a bone requires very accurate 2D navigated scans of bone. The use of brightness-mode ultrasound seems to be promising, if some 2D scans of bone are obtained in a fully automatic manner. This paper presents a rapid and fully automatic method for segmenting bone in a standard 2D ultrasound image (B-mode image). The algorithm focuses on segmenting bone in the B-mode image using RF data of the image. The article introduces the signal-processing scheme designed based on RF data to automatically segment bone in the B-mode image. The segmentation accuracy was assessed by performing various tests for this algorithm for various locations of the limbs of the human body. The algorithm was tested for 120 images taken at different locations of limbs of the human body. The sensitivity of these tests was calculated to be 0.99 and specificity was found to be 1. The suggested segmentation approach provides a reliable means of detecting bone in B-mode image.

[1]  J. Ophir,et al.  Elastography: A Quantitative Method for Imaging the Elasticity of Biological Tissues , 1991, Ultrasonic imaging.

[2]  R A Peters,et al.  Automatic segmentation of ultrasound images using morphological operators. , 1991, IEEE transactions on medical imaging.

[3]  H. Ermert,et al.  A time-efficient and accurate strain estimation concept for ultrasonic elastography using iterative phase zero estimation , 1999, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[4]  Jérôme Tonetti,et al.  A Fully Automated Method for the Delineation of Osseous Interface in Ultrasound Images , 2004, MICCAI.

[5]  Bernd Neumann,et al.  Optical flow , 1986, Workshop on Motion.

[6]  Lutz Claes,et al.  Die sonographische Bestimmung der Beingeometrie , 1999 .

[7]  Ute von Jan,et al.  Visualization of a newborn's hip joint using 3D ultrasound and automatic image processing , 1999, Medical Imaging.

[8]  Russell H. Taylor,et al.  Understanding bone responses in B-mode ultrasound images and automatic bone surface extraction using a Bayesian probabilistic framework , 2004, SPIE Medical Imaging.

[9]  Benoit M. Dawant,et al.  Vertebral surface extraction from ultrasound images for technology-guided therapy , 1999, Medical Imaging.

[10]  H. Ermert,et al.  A new system for the acquisition of ultrasonic multicompression strain images of the human prostate in vivo , 1999, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[11]  H. Ermert,et al.  Ultrasonic strain imaging of the female breast using phase root seeking and three-dimensional "optical flow" , 1998, 1998 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium. Proceedings (Cat. No. 98CH36102).

[12]  H Ermert,et al.  New real-time strain imaging concepts using diagnostic ultrasound. , 2000, Physics in medicine and biology.