# Topology-Aware Wavelet Mamba for Airway Structure Segmentation in Postoperative Recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma CT Scans

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.14363 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.14363/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Mamba for medical image analysis, one of 10 directions in State-space sequence models (S4, Mamba).
- Builds on 19 of its 42 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Feb 2025.

## Placed in

- State-space sequence models (S4, Mamba) / [Mamba for medical image analysis](https://mlsanity.com/ssm/mamba-for-medical-image-analysis/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 19 of 19)

- [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)
- [UNet++: A Nested U-Net Architecture for Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.10165/) (2018)
- [Attention U-Net: Learning Where to Look for the Pancreas](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.03999/) (2018)
- [Swin-Unet: Unet-like Pure Transformer for Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.05537/) (2021)
- [Vision Mamba: Efficient Visual Representation Learning with Bidirectional State Space Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.09417/) (2024)
- [A review of deep learning in medical imaging: Imaging traits, technology trends, case studies with progress highlights, and future promises](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.09104/) (2020)
- [Medical Image Segmentation Review: The success of U-Net](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.14830/) (2022)
- [Recurrent Residual Convolutional Neural Network based on U-Net (R2U-Net) for Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.06955/) (2018)
- [Medical Image Segmentation Using Deep Learning: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.13120/) (2020)
- [Mamba-UNet: UNet-Like Pure Visual Mamba for Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.05079/) (2024)
- [Learning Topological Interactions for Multi-Class Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.09654/) (2022)
- [Feature Pyramid Network for Multi-Class Land Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.03510/) (2018)
- [SFFNet: A Wavelet-Based Spatial and Frequency Domain Fusion Network for Remote Sensing Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.01992/) (2024)
- [NexToU: Efficient Topology-Aware U-Net for Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.15911/) (2023)
- [Topology-aware Mamba for Crack Segmentation in Structures](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.19894/) (2024)
- [Understanding the Tricks of Deep Learning in Medical Image Segmentation: Challenges and Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.10307/) (2022)
- [MWQ: Multiscale Wavelet Quantized Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.05363/) (2021)
- [Weakly Supervised Semantic Segmentation by Knowledge Graph Inference](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.14057/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [TopoMamba: Topology-Aware Scanning and Fusion for Segmenting Heterogeneous Medical Visual Media](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.25545/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients often undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which can lead to postoperative complications such as limited mouth opening and joint stiffness, particularly in recurrent cases that require re-surgery. These complications can affect airway function, making accurate postoperative airway risk assessment essential for managing patient care. Accurate segmentation of airway-related structures in postoperative CT scans is crucial for assessing these risks. This study introduces TopoWMamba (Topology-aware Wavelet Mamba), a novel segmentation model specifically designed to address the challenges of postoperative airway risk evaluation in recurrent NPC patients. TopoWMamba combines wavelet-based multi-scale feature extraction, state-space sequence modeling, and topology-aware modules to segment airway-related structures in CT scans robustly. By leveraging the Wavelet-based Mamba Block (WMB) for hierarchical frequency decomposition and the Snake Conv VSS (SCVSS) module to preserve anatomical continuity, TopoWMamba effectively captures both fine-grained boundaries and global structural context, crucial for accurate segmentation in complex postoperative scenarios. Through extensive testing on the NPCSegCT dataset, TopoWMamba achieves an average Dice score of 88.02%, outperforming existing models such as UNet, Attention UNet, and SwinUNet. Additionally, TopoWMamba is tested on the SegRap 2023 Challenge dataset, where it shows a significant improvement in trachea segmentation with a Dice score of 95.26%. The proposed model provides a strong foundation for automated segmentation, enabling more accurate postoperative airway risk evaluation.