Segmentation of the left ventricle in myocardial perfusion SPECT using active shape model

Abstract

In the quantification of myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS), numerous processes are involved. Automation is desired as it will considerably reduce the laboriousness of the underlying tasks. In this paper, we propose a segmentation scheme for the delineation of left ventricle (LV) using the Active Shape Models. Our scheme will reduce the labour-intensiveness in MPS quantification, while still allowing interactive guidance from the medical experts. The proposed scheme has been applied on clinical MPS tomograms in which it has successfully delineated the LV in 94% of the test data. In addition, it has also shown to be more suitable for LV segmentation than the rivaling Active Contour Model. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.