Fuzzy rule-based approach to segment the menisci regions from MR images

Injuries of the menisci are one of the most common internal derangement of the knee. To examine them with noninvasive, we propose an automated segmentation method of the menisci region from MR image. The method is composed of two steps based on fuzzy logic. First, we segment the cartilage region by thresholding of the intensity. We then extract the candidate region of the menisci as the region between the cartilages. Second, we segment the menisci voxels from the candidate region based on fuzzy if-then rules obtained from knowledge of location and intensity. We applied our method to five MR data sets. Three of them are the normal knees and the others are with some injuries. Quantitative evaluation by a physician shows that this method can successfully segment the menisci for the all. The generated visualizations will help medical doctor to diagnose the menisci with noninvasive.