3-dimensional throat region segmentation from MRI data based on Fourier interpolation and 3-dimensional level set methods.

Abstract

A new algorithm for 3D throat region segmentation from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is presented. The proposed algorithm initially pre-processes the MRI data to increase the contrast between the throat region and its surrounding tissues and to reduce artifacts. Isotropic 3D volume is reconstructed using the Fourier interpolation. Furthermore, a cube encompassing the throat region is evolved using level set method to form a smooth 3D boundary of the throat region. The results of the proposed algorithm on real and synthetic MRI data are used to validate the robustness and accuracy of the algorithm.