Image-based segmentation for characterization and quantitative analysis of the spinal cord injuries by using diffusion patterns

Abstract

In medical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging sequences are able to provide information of the damaged brain structure and the neuronal connections. The sequences can be analyzed to form 3D models of the geometry and further including functional information of the neurons of the specific brain area to develop functional models. Modeling offers a tool which can be used for the modeling of brain trauma from images of the patients and thus information to tailor the properties of the transplanted cells. In this paper, we present image-based methods for the analysis of human spinal cord injuries. In this effort, we use three dimensional diffusion tensor imaging, which is an effective method for analyzing the response of the water molecules. This way, our idea is to study how the injury affects on the tissues and how this can be made visible in the imaging.In this paper, we present here a study of spinal cord analysis to two subjects, one healthy volunteer and one spinal cord injury patient. We have done segmentations and volumetric analysis for detection of anatomical differences. The functional differences are analyzed by using diffusion tensor imaging. The obtained results show that this kind of analysis is capable of finding differences in spinal cords anatomy and function.