A novel 3D deformable model based on a geometrically induced external force field is proposed, which can be conveniently generalized to arbitrary dimensions. The external force field is based on hypothesized interactions between the relative geometries of the deformable model and the object boundary characterized by image gradients. The evolution of the deformable model is solved using the level set method so that topological changes are handled automatically. The dynamic interaction forces between the geometries can greatly improve the deformable model performance in acquiring complex geometries and highly concave boundaries, and it gives the deformable model a high invariancy in initialization configurations. The bidirectionality of the external force field allows the new deformable model to handle arbitrary cross-boundary initializations, and facilitates the handling of weak edges and broken boundaries. In addition, the new deformable model can effectively overcome image noise, by enhancing the geometrical interaction field with a nonlocal edge-preserving algorithm.

Geometric Potential Force (GPF)

The external force field is called the geometric potential force (GPF) field as it is based on the hypothesized geometrically induced interactions between the relative geometries of the deforming surface and the object boundaries (characterized by image gradients).

Attach:gpf.png Δ
GPF: (top) input image and initial deformable model, corresponding edge map, and computed geometric potential field; (middle) initial and evolving deformable models, and (bottom) associated GPF vector field.

Example results - rings segmentation from noisy image

EI model Attach:EI-model1.png Δ
Proposed GPF model Attach:GPF-model1.png Δ

Example results - shape recovery from synthetic images

Isosurfaces of synthetic shapes Attach:synthetic-images1.png Δ
Initializations (yellow) Attach:synthetic-images2.png Δ
Geodesic Attach:synthetic-images3.png Δ
GGVF Attach:synthetic-images4.png Δ
Proposed GPF Attach:synthetic-images5.png Δ
Foreground (FG), background (BG) and overal segmentation accuracies of the above synthetic shapes using Geodesic, GGVF and the proposed GPF models.
Attach:accuracy-synthetic-image.png Δ

Example results - shape recovery from weak edges

Attach:weak-edges.png Δ

Example results - segmentation using GPF with arbitrary initialization

Attach:arbitrary-initialization.png Δ

Example results - shape recovery from noisy image using GPF

Attach:GPF-noisy.png Δ

Example results - segmentation of human aorta CT image

Geodesic Attach:human-aorta1.png Δ
GGVF Attach:human-aorta2.png Δ
proposed GPF Attach:human-aorta3.png Δ

Example results - segmentation of cerebral artery MRI image

Geodesic Attach:cerebral-artery1.png Δ
GGVF Attach:cerebral-artery2.png Δ
Chan-Vese Attach:cerebral-artery3.png Δ
proposed GPF Attach:cerebral-artery4.png Δ

Example results - segmentation of femur CT image

Geodesic Attach:femur1.png Δ
GGVF Attach:femur2.png Δ
Chan-Vese Attach:femur3.png Δ
EI Attach:femur4.png Δ
proposed GPF Attach:femur5.png Δ

Example results - segmentation of multi-branch carotid artery CT image using GPF

Attach:carotid1.png Δ

Publications