%0 Journal Article
	%A N. Mpofu and  M. Sears
	%D 2013
	%J International Journal of Biomedical and Biological Engineering
	%B World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
	%I Open Science Index 80, 2013
	%T Segmenting Ultrasound B-Mode Images Using RiIG Distributions and Stochastic Optimization
	%U https://publications.waset.org/pdf/16220
	%V 80
	%X In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm for
delineating the endocardial wall from a human heart ultrasound scan.
We assume that the gray levels in the ultrasound images are
independent and identically distributed random variables with
different Rician Inverse Gaussian (RiIG) distributions. Both synthetic
and real clinical data will be used for testing the algorithm. Algorithm
performance will be evaluated using the expert radiologist evaluation
of a soft copy of an ultrasound scan during the scanning process and
secondly, doctor’s conclusion after going through a printed copy of
the same scan. Successful implementation of this algorithm should
make it possible to differentiate normal from abnormal soft tissue and
help disease identification, what stage the disease is in and how best
to treat the patient. We hope that an automated system that uses this
algorithm will be useful in public hospitals especially in Third World
countries where problems such as shortage of skilled radiologists and
shortage of ultrasound machines are common. These public hospitals
are usually the first and last stop for most patients in these countries.

	%P 484 - 490