Medical Image Processing for Analysis of Colon Motility

A precise analysis and diagnosis of colon motility dysfunctions with current methods is almost unachievable. This makes it extremely difficult for the clinical experts to decide for the right intervention such as colon resection. The use of Cine MRI for visualizing the colon motility is a very promising technique. In addition, if image segmentation and qualitative motion analysis provide the necessary tools, it could provide the appropriate diagnostic solution. In this work we define necessary steps in the image processing chain to obtain clinical relevant measurements for a computer aided diagnosis of colon motility dysfunctions. For each step, we develop methods for an efficient handling of the MRI time sequences. There is need for compensating the breathing motion since no respiratory gating can be used during acquisition. We segment the colon using a graph-cuts approach in 2D over time for further analysis and visualization. The analysis of the large bowel motility is done by tracking the diameter of the colon during the propagation of the peristaltic wave. The main objective of this work is to automatize the assessment of clinical parameters which can be used to define a clinical index for motility pathologies.