Manifold Learning in Medical Imaging

Manifold learning theory has seen a surge of interest in the modeling of large and extensive datasets in medical imaging since they capture the essence of data in a way that fundamentally outperforms linear methodologies, the purpose of which is to essentially describe things that are flat. This problematic is particularly relevant with medical imaging data, where linear techniques are frequently unsuitable for capturing variations in anatomical structures. In many cases, there is enough structure in the data (CT, MRI, ultrasound) so a lower dimensional object can describe the degrees of freedom, such as in a manifold structure. Still, complex, multivariate distributions tend to demonstrate highly variable structural topologies that are impossible to capture with a single manifold learning algorithm. This chapter will present recent techniques developed in manifold theory for medical imaging analysis, to allow for statistical organ shape modeling, image segmentation and registration from the concept of navigation of manifolds, classification, as well as disease prediction models based on discriminant manifolds. We will present the theoretical basis of these works, with illustrative results on their applications from various organs and pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases and spinal deformities