Automatic separate algorithm of vein and artery for auto-segmentation liver-vessel from abdominal MDCT image using morphological filtering

Abstract

This study proposes the algorithm for segmentation liver and segmentation vessel inside the liver by using MDCT image. There are two main vessels in the liver. During the transplantation, it is important to decrease damage on the vessels and to raise the rate of success by providing medical doctors with the necessary incision rate of the liver and type of the vessels before operation. When transplanting, the size of donator's liver is important for the survival of both donator and receiver. For the survival of both, the donator should leave 35% of his/her own liver, and the receiver should get more than 40% of his/her own liver. By finding out distribution of essential vessels that determine the cutting part for the transplantation and by showing artery and vein separately from the several segmentation vessel image, we can find the liver vein, which is the most important criterion during the incision, and can progress the cutting of the liver from the liver vein. It can be of help to minimize the damage on the three thick vessels and their surrounding vessels, and to cut the liver according to the volume rate of the liver. Using the features that each vessel has circle type and stick type with many angles, segmentation liver through morphological filtering and segmentation liver vessel were performed. Then, the separation of artery and vein from other combined vessels, and its reconstruction was possible, and finally the 3Dimension vessel image was produced. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.