A Physical Model for DT-MRI Based Connectivity Map Computation

In this study we address the problem of extracting a robust connectivity metric for brain white matter. We defined the connectivity problem as an energy minimization task, by associating the DT-field to a physical system composed of nodes and springs, with their constants defined as a function of local structure. Using a variational approach we formulated a fast and stable map evolution, which utilizes an anisotropic kernel smoothing scheme equivalent to a diffusion PDE. The proposed method provides connectivity maps that correlate with normal anatomy on real patient data.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: MICCAI
• Authors: Burak Acar, Erdem Yörük, Roland Bammer
• Keywords: Connectivity Problem, Medical Imaging, Method Provides Connectivity, MICCAI 2005, Robust Connectivity Metric