A computer-implemented method for segmenting magnetic resonance imaging data, the method comprising: detecting one or more edges in an image for a given structure (802, 804), determining an initial position on the image; converting the initial position into an initial contour within the given structure (802, 804); and iteratively deforming the initial contour to expand into a shape matching the given structure (802, 804) by dynamically applying a set of constraints (704, 708, 712), which are deformation constraints, viscosity constraints, and/or form constraints, locally to each point along the initial contour for causing each point to evolve towards at least a selected one of the one or more edges, wherein as the contour is deformed, various constraints (704, 708, 712) applied to points along the contour to dictate its rate of change and direction of change are modified, and updating the set of constraints (704, 708, 712) after one or more iterations, and iteratively deforming the initial contour by computing a distance from each point along the initial contour to a nearest one of the one or more edges present in the image and dynamically determining from the computed distance one or more deformation constraints to be applied at the point for achieving a desired continuity and curvature, wherein the deformation constraints refer to the continuity and curvature at each point along the contour, wherein determining the initial position, converting the initial position into the initial contour, and iteratively deforming the initial contour are performed for a plurality of images for the given structure (802, 804), the plurality of images being processed at least one of sequentially and in parallel, and wherein the images are recorded as a series of slices as a volume is scanned and segmented along a first plane in order to identify the different structures in each slice. detecting one or more edges in an image for a given structure (802, 804), determining an initial position on the image; converting the initial position into an initial contour within the given structure (802, 804); and iteratively deforming the initial contour to expand into a shape matching the given structure (802, 804) by dynamically applying a set of constraints (704, 708, 712), which are deformation constraints, viscosity constraints, and/or form constraints, locally to each point along the initial contour for causing each point to evolve towards at least a selected one of the one or more edges, wherein as the contour is deformed, various constraints (704, 708, 712) applied to points along the contour to dictate its rate of change and direction of change are modified, and updating the set of constraints (704, 708, 712) after one or more iterations, and iteratively deforming the initial contour by computing a distance from each point along the initial contour to a nearest one of the one or more edges present in the image and dynamically determining from the computed distance one or more deformation constraints to be applied at the point for achieving a desired continuity and curvature, wherein the deformation constraints refer to the continuity and curvature at each point along the contour, wherein determining the initial position, converting the initial position into the initial contour, and iteratively deforming the initial contour are performed for a plurality of images for the given structure (802, 804), the plurality of images being processed at least one of sequentially and in parallel, and wherein the images are recorded as a series of slices as a volume is scanned and segmented along a first plane in order to identify the different structures in each slice.