A generic framework for the parcellation of the cortical surface into gyri using geodesic Voronoi diagrams

In this paper we propose a generic automatic approach for the parcellation of the cortical surface into labeled gyri. These gyri are defined from a set of pairs of sulci selected by the user. The selected sulci are first automatically identified in the data, then projected onto the cortical surface. The parcellation stems from two nested Voronoi diagrams computed geodesically to the cortical surface. The first diagram provides the zones of influence of the sulci. The boundary between the two zones of influence of each selected pair of sulci stands for a gyrus seed. A second diagram yields the gyrus parcellation. The distance underlying the Voronoi diagram allows the method to interpolate the gyrus boundaries where the limiting sulci are interrupted. The method is illustrated with 12 different hemispheres. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.