Probabilistic shape-based segmentation using level sets

In this paper, we present a new dynamic and probabilistic shape based segmentation method using statistical and variational approaches. We use two models in this paper: i) intensity and ii) shape. In the first phase, the intensity based segmentation is done using a basic statistical level set method. In the second phase, to which we contribute, the shape model is constructed using the implicit representation of the training shapes. The resulting probability density function is used to embed the shape model into the image domain with a new energy minimization solution. Our method´ s invariance to parameter initialization is evaluated through validation, and various synthetic and clinical shape registration examples are implemented. Experiments show that our proposed algorithm enhances the conventional global registration results, overcomes segmentation challenges, and is robust under various noise levels, severe occlusions, and missing parts.