Automatic Multiple Sclerosis Lesion Segmentation in the Spinal Cord on 3T and 7T MP2RAGE images

Motivation: Manual detection and segmentation of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions in the spinal cord are subject to intra- and inter-rater variability and are time-consuming, impacting the efficiency of MS diagnosis and prognosis Goal(s): To develop a robust, automated model for MS lesion segmentation using deep learning on MP2RAGE images and make the algorithm available in an open-source, maintained package (Spinal Cord Toolbox) Approach: Deep learning-based algorithms for image segmentation, utilizing the nnU-Net framework on a multicenter database of 3T and 7T MP2RAGE images Results: Our approach (UNIseg) outperforms the state-of-the-art method in MS lesion detection and segmentation Impact: This study presents a deep-learning-based method for MS lesion segmentation in the SC, which enhances diagnostic accuracy, reduces segmentation time, and offers lower variability compared to manual approaches, demonstrating significant potential to impact clinical practice and improve routine MS diagnosis