Automated detection of left ventricular epi- and endocardial contours in short-axis MR images

Quantitative analysis of global and regional left ventricular function from short-axis multi-slice Cine MR imaging studies currently requires manual tracing of endo- and epicardial contours in many images. To circumvent the limitations which are associated with manual contour tracing procedures, a software package (MASS: MR Analytical Software System) has been developed with automated contour detection. The contour detection follows a model-based approach incorporating the assumption that contours and images exhibit a gradual change from phase to phase and from slice to slice. The user may interact with the automated contour detection to control the analysis procedure and to avoid the potential risk of error propagation. Compared to manually obtained results, the contour detection software accurately assessed endocardial volumes, epicardial volumes and ejection fraction (correlation coefficients: 0.90-0.97). Total average analysis time for a complete imaging study was 25 minutes