Efficient and fully automatic segmentation of the lungs in CT volumes

The segmentation of lung volumes constitutes the first step for most computer–aided systems for lung diseases. CT (Computed Tomography) is the most common imaging technique used by these systems, so fast and accurate methods are needed to for allow early and reliable analysis. In this paper, an efficient and fully automatic method for the segmentation of the lung volumes in CT is presented. This method deals with the initial segmentation of the respiratory system, the posterior extraction of the air tracks, and the final identification of the tow lungs with 3 novel approaches. The system relies only on anatomical assumptions and was evaluated in the context of the VISCERAL Anatomy3 Challenge, achieving one of the best results.