Automatic Midline Identification in Transverse 2-D Ultrasound Images of the Spine

Effective epidural needle placement and injection involves accurate identification of the midline of the spine. Ultrasound, as a safe pre-procedural imaging modality, is suitable for epidural guidance because it offers adequate visibility of the vertebral anatomy. However, image interpretation remains a key challenge, especially for novices. A deep neural network is proposed to automatically classify the transverse ultrasound images of the vertebrae and identify the midline. To distinguish midline images from off-center frames, the proposed network detects the left –right symmetric anatomic landmarks.
Source: Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Technical Note Source Type: research