Measurement of Nuchal Translucency Thickness 
in First Trimester Ultrasound Foetal Images 
Using Markov Random Field

Abstract

Background: The first-trimester ultrasound assessment of nuchal translucency (NT) thickness has lately been recommended as the most helpful sign in early screening for prenatal chromosomal disorders. Increased foetal NT thickness between 11 and 13+6 weeks of gestation is a frequent phenotypic manifestation of chromosomal abnormalities as well as a variety of foetal deformities and genetic disorders. Purpose: At the moment, clinicians conduct the measurement manually. The measurement may take a long time to complete, requires highly competent operators, and is susceptible to mistakes. So, an automatic method is required for NT measurement. Methods: This study proposes a Markov random Field-based approach for contextually segmenting the NT area from foetal pictures and offering a quick and inexpensive diagnostic even during the early stages of pregnancy. Results: Proposed method gives maximum NT thickness error 0.03 and minimum NT thickness error 0.04. Conclusion: The proposed research work developed a prototype for an automated NT thickness measuring system. This study proposes an MRF-based model for segmentation and detection of NT area from foetal pictures which gives error is less than other methods.