Automatic myocardium segmentation of LGE MRI by deformable models with prior shape data

Background Previously a myocardial tissue classification algorithm has been developed to locate and quantify infarct in a given myocardial region-of-interest specified on late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) MR images [1]. To complete the automation requires an endocardial and epicardial contour detection algorithm to replace the current practice of manual contouring that is time-consuming and subject to intraand inter-observer variability. Challenges include: 1) the intensity inhomogeneity of both the healthy and infarct myocardium; 2) the existence of an infarct on a given slice is not known a priori; 3) a subendocardial infarct region’s boundary can be easily mistaken for the endocardial contour due to the proximity and strength of the edge (gradient); and 4) incorporating prior anatomical information (e.g., cine steady-state free precession (SSFP) MRI) while allowing for possible motion between separate studies.