Evaluation of hippocampal volume based on MRI applying manual and automatic segmentation techniques

Abstract

Various segmentation techniques using MR sequences, including manual and automatic protocols, have been developed to optimize the determination of the hippocampal volume. For clinical application, automated methods with high reproducibility and accuracy potentially may be more efficient than manual volumetry. This study aims to compare the hippocampal volumes obtained from manual and automatic segmentation methods (FreeSurfer and FSL). The automatic segmentation method FreeSurfer showed high correlation. Comparing the absolute hippocampal volumes, there is an overestimation by the automated methods. Applying a correction factor to the automatic method, it may be an alternative for the estimation of the absolute hippocampal volume.