A quantitative validation of segmented colon in virtual colonoscopy using image moments

Evaluation of segmented colon is one of the challenges in Computed Tomography Colonography (CTC). The objective of the study was to measure the segmented colon accurately using image processing techniques.

This was a retrospective study, and the Institutional Ethical clearance was obtained for the secondary dataset. The technique was tested on 85 CTC dataset. The CTC dataset of 100-120 kVp, 100 mA, and ST (Slice Thickness) of 1.25 and 2.5 mm were used for empirical testing. The initial results of the work appear in the conference proceedings. Post colon segmentation, three distance measurement techniques, and one volumetric overlap computation were applied in Euclidian space in which the distances were measured on MPR views of the segmented and unsegmented colons and the volumetric overlap calculation between these two volumes.

The key finding was that the measurements on both the segmented and the unsegmented volumes remain same without much difference noticed. This was statistically proved. The results were validated quantitatively on 2D MPR images. An accuracy of 95.265±0.4551% was achieved through volumetric overlap computation. Through pairedt-test, at α=5%, statistical values were p=0.6769, and t=0.4169 which infer that there was no much significant difference.

The combination of different validation techniques was applied to check the robustness of colon segmentation method, and good results were achieved with this approach. Through quantitative validation, the results were accepted at α=5%.