Semi-automated Myocardial Segmentation of Bright blood Multi-gradient Echo Images Improves Reproducibility of Myocardial Contours and T2* Determination

Overview

Journal MAGMA

Publisher Springer

Date 2016 Dec 17

PMID 27981396

Citations 2

Authors

Pandji Triadyaksa

Niek H J Prakken

Jelle Overbosch

Robin B Peters

J Martijn van Swieten

Matthijs Oudkerk

Paul E Sijens

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Early detection of iron loading is affected by the reproducibility of myocardial contour assessment. A novel semi-automatic myocardial segmentation method is presented on contrast-optimized composite images and compared to the results of manual drawing.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-one short-axis slices at basal, mid-ventricular and apical locations from 17 patients were acquired by bright blood multi-gradient echo MRI. Four observers produced semi-automatic and manual myocardial contours on contrast-optimized composite images. The semi-automatic segmentation method relies on vector field convolution active contours to generate the endocardial contour. After creating radial pixel clusters on the myocardial wall, a combination of pixel-wise coefficient of variance (CoV) assessment and k-means clustering establishes the epicardial contour for each segment.

Results: Compared to manual drawing, semi-automatic myocardial segmentation lowers the variability of T2* quantification within and between observers (CoV of 12.05 vs. 13.86% and 14.43 vs. 16.01%) by improving contour reproducibility (P < 0.001). In the presence of iron loading, semi-automatic segmentation also lowers the T2* variability within and between observers (CoV of 13.14 vs. 15.19% and 15.91 vs. 17.28%).

Conclusion: Application of semi-automatic myocardial segmentation on contrast-optimized composite images improves the reproducibility of T2* quantification.

Citing Articles

T2* assessment of the three coronary artery territories of the left ventricular wall by different monoexponential truncation methods.

Triadyaksa P, Overbosch J, Oudkerk M, Sijens P MAGMA. 2022; 35(5):749-763.

PMID: 35437686 PMC: 9463254. DOI: 10.1007/s10334-022-01008-4.

Cardiac T * mapping: Techniques and clinical applications.

Triadyaksa P, Oudkerk M, Sijens P J Magn Reson Imaging. 2019; 52(5):1340-1351.

PMID: 31837078 PMC: 7687175. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.27023.

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