Segmentation of the central-chest lymph nodes in 3D MDCT images

Central-chest lymph nodes play a vital role in lung-cancer staging. The definition of lymph nodes from three-dimensional (3D) multidetector computed-tomography (MDCT) images, however, remains an open problem. We propose two methods for computer-based segmentation of the central-chest lymph nodes from a 3D MDCT scan: the single-section live wire and the single-click live wire. For the single-section live wire, the user first applies the standard live wire to a single two-dimensional (2D) section after which automated analysis completes the segmentation process. The single-click live wire is similar but is almost completely automatic. Ground-truth studies involving human 3D MDCT scans demonstrate the robustness, efficiency, and intra-observer and inter-observer reproducibility of the methods.