# Leveraging Frequency Domain Learning in 3D Vessel Segmentation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.06224 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.06224/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 15 of its 20 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 11 Jan 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 15 of 15)

- [U-Net: Convolutional Networks for Biomedical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1505.04597/) (2015)
- [TransUNet: Transformers Make Strong Encoders for Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.04306/) (2021)
- [3D U-Net: Learning Dense Volumetric Segmentation from Sparse Annotation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.06650/) (2016)
- [UNETR: Transformers for 3D Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.10504/) (2021)
- [Swin UNETR: Swin Transformers for Semantic Segmentation of Brain Tumors in MRI Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.01266/) (2022)
- [UNet++: Redesigning Skip Connections to Exploit Multiscale Features in Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.05074/) (2019)
- [Global Filter Networks for Image Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.00645/) (2021)
- [FcaNet: Frequency Channel Attention Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.11879/) (2020)
- [Inception Transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.12956/) (2022)
- [3D UX-Net: A Large Kernel Volumetric ConvNet Modernizing Hierarchical Transformer for Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.15076/) (2022)
- [DeepVesselNet: Vessel Segmentation, Centerline Prediction, and Bifurcation Detection in 3-D Angiographic Volumes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.09340/) (2018)
- [ImageCAS: A Large-Scale Dataset and Benchmark for Coronary Artery Segmentation based on Computed Tomography Angiography Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.01607/) (2022)
- [Deep Distance Transform for Tubular Structure Segmentation in CT Scans](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.03383/) (2019)
- [Graph Convolutional Networks for Coronary Artery Segmentation in Cardiac CT Angiography](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.05343/) (2019)
- [Graph Convolution Based Cross-Network Multi-Scale Feature Fusion for Deep Vessel Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.02393/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Coronary microvascular disease constitutes a substantial risk to human health. Employing computer-aided analysis and diagnostic systems, medical professionals can intervene early in disease progression, with 3D vessel segmentation serving as a crucial component. Nevertheless, conventional U-Net architectures tend to yield incoherent and imprecise segmentation outcomes, particularly for small vessel structures. While models with attention mechanisms, such as Transformers and large convolutional kernels, demonstrate superior performance, their extensive computational demands during training and inference lead to increased time complexity. In this study, we leverage Fourier domain learning as a substitute for multi-scale convolutional kernels in 3D hierarchical segmentation models, which can reduce computational expenses while preserving global receptive fields within the network. Furthermore, a zero-parameter frequency domain fusion method is designed to improve the skip connections in U-Net architecture. Experimental results on a public dataset and an in-house dataset indicate that our novel Fourier transformation-based network achieves remarkable dice performance (84.37% on ASACA500 and 80.32% on ImageCAS) in tubular vessel segmentation tasks and substantially reduces computational requirements without compromising global receptive fields.