Fast 3D Segmentation of Hepatic Images Combining Region and Boundary Criteria

A new approach to the liver segmentation from 3D images is presented and compared to the existing methods in terms of quality and speed of segmentation. The proposed technique is based on 3D deformable model (active surface) combining boundary and region information. The segmentation quality is comparable to the existing methods but the proposed technique is significantly faster. The experimental evaluation was performed on clinical datasets (both MRI and CT), representing typical as well as more challenging to segment liver shapes.