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Original Article |
1 Department of General, Vascular and Thoracic Surgery–Chirurgische Klinik I, Charité –Campus Benjamin Franklin, Freie- und Humboldt-Universitä t zu Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany
2 MeVis Research, Center for Medical Image Computing, Bremen, Germany
3 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Charité –Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
Correspondence: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Kai S. Lehmann, MD; E-mail: kai.lehmann{at}charite.de
Background: Computer systems allow the planning of complex liver operations. The segmentation of intrahepatic vessels builds the basis for the calculation of liver segments and resection proposals. For surgical use, it is essential to know the capabilities and limitations of the segmentation. The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity and precision of the portal vein segmentation of a computer planning system for liver surgery in vivo.
Methods: Segmentations were performed with the software system HepaVision on computed tomography (CT) scan data of domestic pigs. An in situ corrosion cast of the portal vein served as the gold standard. The segmentation results of the portal vein and the corrosion cast were compared with regard to sensitivity, precision, and amount of short-circuit segmentations.
Results: The methodology demonstrated high resolution ex situ. The in vivo sensitivity of the portal vein segmentation was 100% for vessels of more than 5 mm in diameter and 82% for vessels of 3–4 mm. All segment branches were detected as well as 84% of the first subsegment branches with a diameter of more than 3 mm. The precision of the system was 100% for segment branches and 89% for the first subsegment vessels. The amount of internal short-circuit segmentations was less than 3.0%. No external short-circuits were found.
Conclusion: The system has a high precision and sensitivity under clinical conditions. The segmentation is suitable for portal vein branches of the first and second order and for vessels of 
3 mm in diameter.
Key Words: Liver • Segmentation • Liver surgery • 3D planning • Portal vein
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