SegThy Open-Access Dataset for Thyroid and Neck Segmentation
Krönke, C. Eilers and D. Dimova, M. Köhler and G. Buschner, L. Schweiger and L. Konstantinidou and M. Makowski and J. Nagarajah and N. Navab and W. Weber and T. Wendler

@article{,
title= {SegThy Open-Access Dataset for Thyroid and Neck Segmentation},
keywords= {},
author= {Krönke, C. Eilers and D. Dimova, M. Köhler and G. Buschner, L. Schweiger and L. Konstantinidou and M. Makowski and J. Nagarajah and N. Navab and W. Weber and T. Wendler},
abstract= {## Motivation

Ultrasound (US) imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis of thyroid diseases as well as different pathologies of the neck region. Additionally, US is used for treatment planning, in the case of radioiodine therapy, and also as mean of following up on the success of different therapeutic efforts. Yet, in the vast majority of hospitals, 2D freehand US is applied. This type of examination has shown to have a high intra-observer and inter-observer variability [1], and low accuracy in terms of volume prediction in a thyroid volumetry setting using MRI as ground truth.

To tackle these problems, we propose the use of 3D US in combination with machine learning (ML) algorithms to automatically segment the most relevant organs in the region, as well as anomalies, such as nodules and tumors. 3D US can be acquired in several ways, e.g. using 3D US probes, robotic US, so-called wobbler US probes, or using freehand tracked US. The last option has gained traction over the last years as it enables to extend almost any existing commercial 2D US at a low cost. On the side of ML, its availability and increasing computing power are flooding the medical world. Yet, ML can only provide trustworthy results if sufficient (annotated) data is available to “learn” from it. This motivated us to create and publish this dataset, and thus make a relevant contribution to the community.

## Citation

[1] Tracked 3D ultrasound and deep neural network-based thyroid segmentation reduce interobserver variability in thyroid volumetry; M. Krönke, C. Eilers, D. Dimova, M. Köhler, G. Buschner, L. Schweiger, L. Konstantinidou, M. Makowski, J. Nagarajah, N. Navab, W. Weber, and T. Wendler; PLOS ONE - July 29, 2022 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268550

 

## Dataset Description

Sub-dataset 1 This sub-dataset consists of 28 (healthy) volunteers who were scanned using freehand tracked ultrasonography (both sides of their neck, focus on thyroid). A Siemens Acuson NX-3 US machine, combined with a 12MHz VF12-4 probe, was adapted to be tracked using electromagnetic tracking using the Piur tUS system. Additionally, all patients were imaged with MRI (Siemens Biograph mMR) using a T1-weighted VIBE (volumetric interpolated breath-hold) sequence centered in the thyroid area of the neck. The magnetic field was set to 3T. In practical terms, each volunteer in this subdataset has: 

1x MRI (T1-weighted VIBE sequence) of the neck area, with voxel size 0.625x0.625x1 mm3 and field of view 320x320x80 mm3.
9x two-sided 3D US covering the thyroid region with voxel size of 0.12x0.12x0.12 mm3 and variable field of view. The nine 3D US were acquired by three physicians (three scans each). 
Label maps for the thyroid in all MR and US images.
Sub-dataset 2 The second subdataset consists of 186 patients undergoing routinary thyroid US either as initial diagnostics means or as follow-up. The same US device and freehand tracked US extension device were used. Each patient in this sub-dataset has 6x two-sided 3D US covering the thyroid. The 6 3D US were acquired by 2 physicians (three scans each).

In both dataset, the age and the sex of the patients is included in the metadata. The dataset is currently being extended to include the labels of the trachea, the common carotid arteries, the internal jugular veins, and (if present) thyroid nodules in sub-dataset 1 (in both US and MRI), and of the same organs in sub-dataset 2 in US. See figures as examples for the multilabel annotations.

 

## License

This dataset is licensed under a CC BY license. This means that users of it can distribute, shuffle, adapt, and build upon the material with the sole condition that the creators are acknowledged. The license permits commercial use as long as the authors are cited.},
terms= {},
license= {https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
superseded= {},
url= {https://www.cs.cit.tum.de/camp/publications/segthy-dataset/}
}