Adaptive boundary detection using `live-wire´ two-dimensional dynamic programming

An adaptive boundary detection algorithm that uses two-dimensional dynamic programming (DP) is presented. The algorithm is less constrained than previous one-dimensional dynamic programming algorithms and allows the user to interactively determine the mathematically optimal boundary between a user-selected seed point and any other dynamically selected free point in the image. Interactive movement of the free point by the cursor causes the boundary to behave like a live wire as it adapts to the new minimum cost path between the seed point and the currently selected free point. The algorithm can also be adapted or customized to learn boundary-defining features for a particular class of images. Adaptive 2-D DP performs well on a variety of images. It accurately detects the boundaries of low contrast objects, which occur with intravenous injections, as well as those found in noisy, low SNR images