A Bayesian approach for edge extraction in ultrasound images and its application to image segmentation

Successful applications of digital image processing techniques to medical ultrasound images have been limited in part because of the lack of an useful imaging model for clinical ultrasound B-scans. In this work, the authors derive a discrete linear imaging model appropriate for clinical ultrasound B-scans. Based on the newly derived model, the authors developed a Bayesian restoration approach which is currently designed for the generation of correct edges of medical ultrasound images. The results demonstrate that successful edge detection can indeed be achieved by the proposed method.