Published May 26, 2025 | Version v3

Abdominal DIXON-MRI model (UNETR) for kidney segmentation

Authors/Creators

Description

Title:

Kidney Segmentation Model for Post-Contrast MRI (Dixon) in DKD Patients

Description:

This repository contains a PyTorch-based deep learning model (.pth file) for automated segmentation of the left and right kidneys from post-contrast Dixon MRI images. This Dixon MRI dataset was acquired with the following imaging parameters: a field of view (FoV) of 400 mm in both the read and phase directions, and a slice thickness of 1.5 mm. The repetition time (TR) was 4.01 ms, with two echo times (TE): TE1 at 1.34 ms and TE2 at 2.57 ms. A total of 144 slices per slab were obtained.

The model requires 4D axial data with 4 input channels: out-phase, in-pase, water and fat. The model was trained using data from 58 patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD), based on high-quality semi-automated segmentations. See the dixon_masks_unetr.gif file for a 2D example of individual kidney segmentation per slice, or view the     3d_mask.gif for a 3D mask visualization.

API

The model can be applied to data using the function kidney_pc_dixon from the miblab python package [documentation].

Model Details:

  • Format: PyTorch .pth checkpoint

  • Architecture: UNETR (Transformer-based UNet)

  • Input: 4D array [contrast, x, y, z] from post-contrast Dixon MRI (in-phase images, out-phase images, water map and fat map)

  • Output: Binary segmentation masks for left and right kidneys

  • Post-processing: Optionally retains only the largest connected component for each kidney to reduce false positives.

Training Data:

  • Dataset: 58 patients with diabetes

  • Annotations: Semi-automated expert segmentations

  • Modality: Post-contrast Dixon MRI

Version History:

Version Date Description
v1.0 Apr 22, 2024 Initial release. Two-channel UNETR (.pth model).
v2.0 Nov 29, 2024 Four-channel UNETR (.pth model).
v3.0 May 25, 2025 Added two example .gif files: dixon_masks_unetr.gif and 3d_mask.gif.

Files

3d_mask.gif

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