Aorta segmentation using the watershed algorithm for an augmented reality system in laparoscopic surgery

This paper presents an algorithm for a 3D segmentation of the aorta artery in magnetic resonance images (MRI). The purpose is to project the 3D segmented aorta in the patient's abdomen with an augmented reality (AR) system to help the surgeon in laparoscopic interventions. In order to obtain accurate results in the segmentation process a marker-controlled watershed algorithm is used. Since this method requires a robust gradient image and two marker sets, a preprocessing step is carried out in each image. The algorithm is automatic and the results are promising with a Jaccard coefficient (JC) of 0.8107 ± 0.0228.