用坐标感知网络精准分割13个丘脑核团,适合临床和研究使用。
CATNUS: Coordinate-Aware Thalamic Nuclei Segmentation Using T1-Weighted MRI
- 引入坐标卷积增强3D U-Net,提升大小核团定位精度。
- 在13个核团上优于FreeSurfer等方法,测试-重测可靠性高。
- 支持多种扫描序列,跨设备泛化能力强,适合真实场景。
准确分割磁共振图像中的丘脑核团对理解脑功能及神经精神疾病至关重要,但受限于核团小、对比度低、分辨率有限及个体解剖差异,分割仍具挑战。本文提出CATNUS(Coordinate-Aware Thalamic Nuclei Segmentation),采用增强坐标卷积的3D U-Net架构,实现13个丘脑核团(或核团组)的分割。模型支持定量T1图、MPRAGE和FGATIR序列,具备广泛临床适用性。在多个核团上相比FreeSurfer、THOMAS和HIPS-THOMAS方法表现出更高分割精度与优异测试-重测可靠性。此外,对跨扫描仪、场强与厂商的外部数据集展现出强泛化能力,生成结果在解剖上一致可靠。CATNUS为丘脑核团分割提供了高精度且可推广的解决方案,具有推动大规模神经影像研究与临床评估的潜力。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Accurate segmentation of thalamic nuclei from magnetic resonance images is important due to the distinct roles of these nuclei in overall brain function and to their differential involvement in neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, segmentation remains challenging given the small size of many nuclei, limited intrathalamic contrast and image resolution, and inter-subject anatomical variability. In this work, we present CATNUS (Coordinate-Aware Thalamic Nuclei Segmentation), segmenting 13 thalamic nuclei (or nuclear groups) using a 3D U-Net architecture enhanced with coordinate convolution layers, which provide more precise localization of both large and small nuclei. To support broad clinical applicability, we provide pre-trained model variants that can operate on quantitative T1 maps as well as on widely used magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo (MPRAGE) and fast gray matter acquisition T1 inversion recovery (FGATIR) sequences. We benchmarked CATNUS against established methods, including FreeSurfer, THOMAS and HIPS-THOMAS, demonstrating improved segmentation accuracy and robust test-retest reliability across multiple nuclei. Furthermore, CATNUS demonstrated strong out-of-distribution generalization on traveling-subject datasets spanning multiple scanners, field strengths, and vendors, producing reliable and anatomically coherent segmentations across diverse acquisition conditions. Overall, CATNUS provides an accurate and generalizable solution for thalamic nuclei segmentation, with strong potential to facilitate large-scale neuroimaging studies and support real-world clinical assessment.
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