3D curves tracking and its application to cortical sulci detection

Automatic labelling and identification of cerebral structure, such as cortical sulci, are useful in neurology, surgery planning, etc... In this paper, a method to detect the valley of the cortical sulci is presented. The aim of the method is to achieve the sulci medial surface. The method, applied on MRI data, is based on geometrical features (curvature) and doesn't require accurate segmentation of the cerebral cortex. We use sub-voxel precision tracking. The minimum curvature vector in each point allows successive displacement along the valley of sulci. Partial derivatives provide the differential characteristics.