A CAD system for nodule detection in low-dose lung CTs based on region growing and a new active contour model

Journal Article · Sat Dec 15 04:00:00 EST 2007 · Medical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1118/1.2804720· OSTI ID:21032892

Bellotti, R; De Carlo, F; Gargano, G; Tangaro, S; Cascio, D; Catanzariti, E; Cerello, P; Cheran, S C; Delogu, P; De Mitri, I; Fulcheri, C; Grosso, D; Retico, A; Squarcia, S; Tommasi, E; Golosio, Bruno ^[1]; Sezione INFN, Turin ^[2]

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1. Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Bari and Sezione INFN di Bari (Italy) and Center of Innovative Technologies for Signal Detection and Processing (TIRES), Bari (Italy)
2. Italy

A computer-aided detection (CAD) system for the selection of lung nodules in computer tomography (CT) images is presented. The system is based on region growing (RG) algorithms and a new active contour model (ACM), implementing a local convex hull, able to draw the correct contour of the lung parenchyma and to include the pleural nodules. The CAD consists of three steps: (1) the lung parenchymal volume is segmented by means of a RG algorithm; the pleural nodules are included through the new ACM technique; (2) a RG algorithm is iteratively applied to the previously segmented volume in order to detect the candidate nodules; (3) a double-threshold cut and a neural network are applied to reduce the false positives (FPs). After having set the parameters on a clinical CT, the system works on whole scans, without the need for any manual selection. The CT database was recorded at the Pisa center of the ITALUNG-CT trial, the first Italian randomized controlled trial for the screening of the lung cancer. The detection rate of the system is 88.5% with 6.6 FPs/CT on 15 CT scans (about 4700 sectional images) with 26 nodules: 15 internal and 11 pleural. A reduction to 2.47 FPs/CT is achieved at 80% efficiency.

• OSTI ID: 21032892
• Journal Information: Medical Physics, Journal Name: Medical Physics Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 34; ISSN 0094-2405; ISSN MPHYA6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ALGORITHMS
BIOMEDICAL RADIOGRAPHY
CARCINOMAS
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
IMAGE PROCESSING
IMAGES
ITERATIVE METHODS
LUNGS
NEURAL NETWORKS
RADIATION DOSES