Automatic image segmentation methods and analysis

An apparatus for revealing a volumetric region comprising:

• (a) a storage device;
• (b) a network to which a processed image can be transmitted;
• (c) a Digital Data Processor (DDP) comprising a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a dynamic memory, a software program, an input device and an output device, where the output device is adapted to enable the processed image to be transmitted to the storage device, where the software program is adapted to receive and/or generate a plurality of 2D image slices in a CT runoff study corresponding to a portion of a patient's body, where each 2D image slice of the plurality of 2D image slices comprises a plurality of pixels, where the software program is further adapted to:
• (i) generate a first histogram of the plurality of 2D image slices;
• (ii) compute a cross-correlation between the first histogram and an atlas of average histograms;
• (iii) determine based on the cross-correlation a matching body part;
• (iv) assign the CT runoff study to the matching body part based on step(c)(iii);
• (v) determine a threshold;
• (vi) perform a segmentation based on the threshold to determine one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of a first connected component, a total area occupied by the first connected component, a second histogram of the first connected component, and/or a third histogram of the total area occupied by the first connected component;
• (vii) determine a volumetric region of the first connected component based on step(c)(vi);
• (viii) generate a plurality of extracted 2D image slices by extracting the first connected component from the plurality of 2D image slices;
• and
• (viii) label a second connected component based on the plurality of extracted 2D image slices.