Fast Tissue Segmentation Based on a 4D Feature Map: Preliminary Results

The primary aim of this work was to develop a fast and accurate method for tissue segmentation based on a 4D feature map to be used in stereotactic neurosurgery and the evaluation of multiple sclerosis, MS. Secondly, we wanted to validate our method with biological tissue studied in-vivo obtained by biopsy. Tissue segmentation based on both 3D and 4D feature maps were derived from high resolution MR images and was performed in five normal individuals, six patients with MS plaques in the brain, and six patients with malignant brain tumors from which four had undergone stereotactic biopsy. Three inputs: proton density, T2, and T1-weighted MR images were routinely utilized. As a fourth input, magnetization transfer was used in some patients, and T1-weighted post contrast MRI in others.