Bias field correction-based active contour model for region of interest extraction in digital image

Abstract

The region-based Active Contour Model (ACM) is a widely known variational segmentation model for extracting or segmenting a digital image into numerous sections for further analysis. Distinguishing between global and specific segmentation models within this paradigm is possible. The global segmentation model is incapable of selectively segmenting the region of interest (ROI) from the input image, which leads to an over-segmented problem. A variety of models have been devised to address the task of selective segmentation, which involves the extraction of the boundary of a particular region of interest (ROI) inside a digital image. The Primal Dual Selective Segmentation (PDSS) model has been recently introduced and exhibits significant potential in terms of accuracy. Nevertheless, the presence of intensity inhomogeneity in digital images disrupts the precision and localisation of target regions of segmentation. Therefore, it is important to take into account bias field adjustment, also known as correction for intensity inhomogeneity. So, this study came up with a new selective segmentation model called the Selective Segmentation with Bias Field Correction (SSBF) model by combining the idea of the existing PDSS model with the level set-based bias field correction technique. To solve the proposed SSBF model, we first derived the Euler-Lagrange (EL) equation and solved it in MATLAB software. The Intersection over Union (IOU) coefficient, also known as the Dice (DSC) and Jaccard (JSC) similarity metrics, evaluated the proposed model's accuracy. Experimental results demonstrate that the JSC and DSC values of the proposed model were 13.4% and 7.2% higher, respectively, than the competing model.