Development, validation, and pilot MRI safety study of a high-resolution, open source, whole body pediatric numerical simulation model
Fig 2
Flow chart–process of the segmentation.
The first step was to select a male patient with available whole-body sequences without major deformities as well as multiple sequences that would facilitate the segmentation process. We then pulled all the available MRI and CT scans from the database of the Boston Children’s Hospital. The meticulous process of the segmentation of the different tissues of the body was slightly differentiated for the brain and the non-brain tissues. For the segmentation of the brain structures, an automated infant-specific data processing framework was used, and the result was reviewed by two subspecialized neuroradiologists. Non-brain tissues were segmented using different sequences by two MDs, and the volumes and the weights of the segmented tissues were compared with the values from the literature. When the agreement was achieved between the operators and the tissues were aligned with the surrounded segmented tissues, the two sub-specialty certified neuroradiologists confirmed the result following a “pass or fail” process through an interactive process. The tissues that were scored with a “pass” were then finalized. Given that gradually more and more tissues were added to the segmentation project, some of which were not available when the first of the tissues were segmented and finalized, all the tissues were put together in the reference T1 sequence, and the model was again confirmed by the two neuroradiologists.