Efficient active contour model for multiphase segmentation with application to brain MR images

In this paper, we propose an efficient active contour model for multiphase image segmentation in a variational level set formulation. By incorporating the globally convex segmentation idea and the split Bregman method into the multiphase formulation of the local and global intensity fitting energy model, our new model improved the original local and global intensity fitting energy model in the following aspects. First, we propose a new energy functional using the globally convex segmentation method to guarantee fast convergence. Second, we incorporate information from the edge into the energy functional by using a non-negative edge detector function to detect boundaries more easily. Third, instead of a constant value to control the influence of the local and global intensity fitting terms, we use a weight function varying with the locations of the image to balance the weights between the local and the global fitting terms dynamically. Lastly, the special structure of our energy functional enables us to apply the split Bregman method to minimize the energy much more efficiently. We have applied our model to synthetic images and real brain MR images with promising results. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and superiority of our model.