Self-organizing maps as a tool for segmentation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most prevalent demyelinating disease of the Central Nervous System, being the Relapsing-Remitting (RRMS) its most common subtype. We explored here the viability of use of Self Organizing Maps (SOM) to perform automatic segmentation of MS lesions apart from CNS normal tissue. SOM were able, in most cases, to successfully segment MRIs of patients with RRMS, with the correct separation of normal versus pathological tissue especially in supratentorial acquisitions, although it could not differentiate older from newer lesions.