Detection of MRI brain contour using nonlinear anisotropic diffusion filter

Automated boundary extraction techniques applied to detect MRI brain contour do not provide, until now, contours as accurate as required in critical medical applications; hence contouring is actually accomplished by manual or interactive edge detection methods. In order to overcome such inadequate results, scale-space technique using anisotropic diffusion filter has been applied. After smoothing the gradient has been computed using the nonmaxima suppression technique. When the hysteresis thresholding has been performed the brain contour appeared thinned and almost entirely connected. The used technique provided a great advantage because it allowed to detect the true location and morphology of sulci and gyri