Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been applied to various automatic
image segmentation tasks in medical image analysis, including brain MRI
segmentation. Generative adversarial networks have recently gained popularity
because of their power in generating images that are difficult to distinguish
from real images.
In this study we use an adversarial training approach to improve CNN-based
brain MRI segmentation. To this end, we include an additional loss function
that motivates the network to generate segmentations that are difficult to
distinguish from manual segmentations. During training, this loss function is
optimised together with the conventional average per-voxel cross entropy loss.
The results show improved segmentation performance using this adversarial
training procedure for segmentation of two different sets of images and using
two different network architectures, both visually and in terms of Dice
coefficients.

本文介绍了使用对抗训练方法改进卷积神经网络在 MRI 分割中的应用，结果表明该方法能够显着提高 MRI 分割的性能。

用对抗训练和扩张卷积进行脑部 MRI 分割

Adversarial training and dilated convolutions for brain MRI segmentation

Automatic segmentation in MR brain images is important for quantitative
analysis in large-scale studies with images acquired at all ages.
This paper presents a method for the automatic segmentation of MR brain
images into a number of tissue classes using a convolutional neural network. To
ensure that the method obtains accurate segmentation details as well as spatial
consistency, the network uses multiple patch sizes and multiple convolution
kernel sizes to acquire multi-scale information about each voxel. The method is
not dependent on explicit features, but learns to recognise the information
that is important for the classification based on training data. The method
requires a single anatomical MR image only.
The segmentation method is applied to five different data sets: coronal
T2-weighted images of preterm infants acquired at 30 weeks postmenstrual age
(PMA) and 40 weeks PMA, axial T2- weighted images of preterm infants acquired
at 40 weeks PMA, axial T1-weighted images of ageing adults acquired at an
average age of 70 years, and T1-weighted images of young adults acquired at an
average age of 23 years. The method obtained the following average Dice
coefficients over all segmented tissue classes for each data set, respectively:
0.87, 0.82, 0.84, 0.86 and 0.91.
The results demonstrate that the method obtains accurate segmentations in all
five sets, and hence demonstrates its robustness to differences in age and
acquisition protocol.

使用卷积神经网络的多尺度信息，对单个解剖学 MR 图像进行自动分割，取得了在不同年龄和采集协议下的高度准确的分割结果。