Automated prostate segmentation model to assess prostate zonal growth pattern in patients with benign prostate hyperplasia

Motivation: Prostate growth rate analysis helps to reveal the development of benign prostate hyperplasia. Goal(s): To analyze the growth rates in different prostate zones using a previously developed segmentation model. Approach: The prostate zonal volume and morphology features (zonal width, thickness, height, and sphericity) were computed from the automatic segmentation results to calculate the annual growth rate. Results: The prostate whole gland volume and transition zone volume increased with age, while the peripheral zone volume decreased with age. Besides, prostate zonal volume growth rate varied between ages, and different locations of the prostate exhibited verified growth rates. Impact: Prostate growth rate analysis could be done efficiently with the assistance of a deep-learning-based segmentation model. Our study facilitated a detailed investigation of prostate growth patterns and found that different zones and locations of the prostate exhibited different growth rates.