A comprehensive analysis of Mamba for 3D volumetric medical image segmentation
Wang, Chaohan Xie, Yutong Chen, Qi Zhou, Yuyin Wu, Qi
Wang, Chaohan
Xie, Yutong
Chen, Qi
Zhou, Yuyin
Wu, Qi
Supervisor
Department
Computer Vision
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Type
Journal article
Date
2026
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Language
English
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Abstract
Mamba, with its selective State Space Models (SSMs), offers a more computationally efficient solution than Transformers for long-range dependency modeling. However, there is still a debate about its effectiveness in high-resolution 3D medical image segmentation. In this study, we present a comprehensive investigation into Mamba's capabilities in 3D medical image segmentation by tackling three pivotal questions: Can Mamba replace Transformers? Can it elevate multi-scale representation learning? Is complex scanning necessary to unlock its full potential? We evaluate Mamba's performance across three large public benchmarks–AMOS, TotalSegmentator, and BraTS. Our findings reveal that UlikeMamba, a U-shape Mamba-based network, consistently surpasses UlikeTrans, a U-shape Transformer-based network with Spatial Reduction Attention (SRA) mechanism, particularly when enhanced with custom-designed 3D depthwise convolutions, boosting accuracy and computational efficiency. Further, our proposed multi-scale Mamba block demonstrates superior performance in capturing both fine-grained details and global context, especially in complex segmentation tasks, surpassing Transformer-based counterparts. We also critically assess complex scanning strategies, finding that simpler methods often suffice, while our Tri-scan approach delivers notable advantages in the most challenging scenarios. By integrating these advancements, we introduce a new network for 3D medical image segmentation, positioning Mamba as a transformative force that outperforms leading models such as nnUNet, CoTr, and U-Mamba, offering competitive accuracy with superior computational efficiency. This study provides key insights into Mamba's unique advantages, paving the way for more efficient and accurate approaches to 3D medical imaging. The source code for this work is publicly available at https://github.com/uakhan17/Mamba3D-MedSeg and is licensed under the MIT license.
Citation
C. Wang, Y. Xie, Q. Chen, Y. Zhou, and Q. Wu, “A comprehensive analysis of Mamba for 3D volumetric medical image segmentation,” Pattern Recognit, vol. 173, p. 112701, May 2026, doi: 10.1016/J.PATCOG.2025.112701
Source
Pattern Recognition
Conference
Keywords
Medical image segmentation, State space model, Transformer
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Source
Publisher
Elsevier