Extracting VOIs from brain PET images

A semi-automatic system for determining volumes of interest (VOI) from posi tron emission tomography (PET) scans of brain is described. The VOIs surfac e extraction is based on user selectable threshold and three-dimensional ta rget flood-fill. Contrast to anatomical volume detection approaches, Volume s are determined from functional PET images and the obtained objects are ch ecked against anatomical images. The developed VOI program was evaluated wi th brain FDOPA-PET studies where the striatum was the object. The results w ere comparable to entirely manual method and the target extraction time is reduced to about one third of manual method. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Irel and Ltd. All rights reserved.