Aorta segmentation using the watershed algorithm for an augmented reality system in laparoscopic surgery

This paper presents an algorithm for a 3D segmentation of the aorta artery in magnetic resonance images (MRI). The purpose is to project the 3D segmented aorta in the patient´s abdomen with an augmented reality (AR) system to help the surgeon in laparoscopic interventions. In order to obtain accurate results in the segmentation process a marker-controlled watershed algorithm is used. Since this method requires a robust gradient image and two marker sets, a preprocessing step is carried out in each image. The algorithm is automatic and the results are promising with a Jaccard coefficient (JC) of 0.8107 ± 0.0228.