A Multi-Level Set Approach for Bone Segmentation in Lumbar Ultrasound Images

Abstract

Segmentation of the bone surface in ultrasound images are utilized in several applications of computer-aided surgery. In image processing, the bone segmentation is the challenging task in recent days. Hence, a novel multi-level set approach is developed for bone segmentation process and a new fully automatic algorithm for segmenting bone surface is presented in this work. Segmentation of the bone surface is difficult due to speckle noise in the ultrasound image. Ridgelet transform filtering is utilized to remove the speckle noise, which is present in the bone images. The pixel connectivity between neighborhoods in window sequence of region similarity is represented by the clustering formation. The contour of an image represents the segmented area by a novel log-likelihood multi-level set segmentation algorithm. This proposed work provides the accurate segmentation result and high sensitivity, specificity, and precision as 99.92, 94.621, and 93.15. It achieves accuracy range of about 96.5 which is predominant than other existing approaches. Similarly the sensitivity, specificity, precision and recall attain better range. The performance of the proposed method is higher than other segmentation techniques like EM, OTSU and active contour.

KEYWORDS:

• Clustering formation
• Filter
• Lumbar epidurals
• Multi-level set segmentation
• Speckle noise
• Ultrasound images

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Porur, Chennai for providing Lumbar ultrasound images, Dr. Siddharth S.V. and Dr. Rajeev P. for their help in image collection and clinical information.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

V. Umamaheswari

V Umamahewari received ME in medical electronics from College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University, Chennai in 2002. She received BE in electronics and communication from Periyar Maniyammai College of Technology for Women, Bharathidasan University in 1995. She has 13 years of teaching experience in various engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD from Anna Universiy. Her research interest includes image processing, biomedical instrumentation, and medical image processing.

P.M. Venkatasai

P M Venkatasai is professor & head, Department of Radiology, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, India and also he is working as senior consultant, Radiologist in Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Porur, Chennai. He has published more than 50 papers in international journals and conferences.Email: [email protected]

S. Poonguzhali

S Poonguzhali is working as associate professor in the Department of ECE, Centre for Medical Electronics, Anna University, Chennai. She has received her PhD from College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai in 2009 and ME in medical electronics from College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai in 2001. Her research interest includes image processing, biomedical instrumentation, and biomedical imaging. She has published more than 70 papers in international journals and conferences.Email: [email protected]