Robert Ambrosini1, Walter O'Dell1
1University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
Brain extraction is a critical pre-processing step for enabling automated lesion detection algorithms to achieve a minimal false positive rate at a low computational cost for MR datasets. We have developed a method that combines atlas-based techniques with image edge detection capabilities provided by snakes for the purpose of performing brain extraction while preserving the MR appearance of lesions. We were able to achieve a Jaccard Index value of 0.87 and a Dice Coefficient of 0.93. These preliminary results indicate our approachs potential value as a method for extracting the MR brain prior to employing a lesion detection algorithm.