VLSM-Net: A Fusion Architecture for CT Image Segmentation

Abstract

Region of interest (ROI) segmentation is a key step in computer-aided diagnosis (CAD). With the problems of blurred tissue edges and imprecise boundaries of ROI in medical images, it is hard to extract satisfactory ROIs from medical images. In order to overcome the shortcomings in segmentation from the V-Net model or the level set method (LSM), we propose in this paper a new image segmentation method, the VLSM-Net model, combining these two methods. Specifically, we first use the V-Net model to segment the ROIs, and set the segmentation result as the initial contour. It is then fed through the hybrid LSM for further fine segmentation. That is, the complete segmentation of the V-Net model can be obtained by successively combining the V-Net model and the hybrid LSM. The experimental results conducted in the public datasets LiTS and LUNA show that, compared with the V-Net model or LSM alone, our VLSM-Net model greatly improves the sensitivity, precision and dice coefficient values (DCV) in 3D image segmentation, thus validating our model’s effectiveness.