MedSAM-Agent: Empowering Interactive Medical Image Segmentation with Multi-turn Agentic Reinforcement Learning

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Liu, Shengyuan, Bao, Liuxin, Yang, Qi, Geng, Wanting, Zheng, Boyun, Li, Chenxin, Chen, Wenting, Peng, Houwen, Yuan, Yixuan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Liu, Shengyuan
Bao, Liuxin
Yang, Qi
Geng, Wanting
Zheng, Boyun
Li, Chenxin
Chen, Wenting
Peng, Houwen
Yuan, Yixuan
author_facet Liu, Shengyuan
Bao, Liuxin
Yang, Qi
Geng, Wanting
Zheng, Boyun
Li, Chenxin
Chen, Wenting
Peng, Houwen
Yuan, Yixuan
contents Medical image segmentation is evolving from task-specific models toward generalizable frameworks. Recent research leverages Multi-modal Large Language Models (MLLMs) as autonomous agents, employing reinforcement learning with verifiable reward (RLVR) to orchestrate specialized tools like the Segment Anything Model (SAM). However, these approaches often rely on single-turn, rigid interaction strategies and lack process-level supervision during training, which hinders their ability to fully exploit the dynamic potential of interactive tools and leads to redundant actions. To bridge this gap, we propose MedSAM-Agent, a framework that reformulates interactive segmentation as a multi-step autonomous decision-making process. First, we introduce a hybrid prompting strategy for expert-curated trajectory generation, enabling the model to internalize human-like decision heuristics and adaptive refinement strategies. Furthermore, we develop a two-stage training pipeline that integrates multi-turn, end-to-end outcome verification with a clinical-fidelity process reward design to promote interaction parsimony and decision efficiency. Extensive experiments across 6 medical modalities and 21 datasets demonstrate that MedSAM-Agent achieves state-of-the-art performance, effectively unifying autonomous medical reasoning with robust, iterative optimization. Code is available \href{https://github.com/CUHK-AIM-Group/MedSAM-Agent}{here}.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_03320
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle MedSAM-Agent: Empowering Interactive Medical Image Segmentation with Multi-turn Agentic Reinforcement Learning
Liu, Shengyuan
Bao, Liuxin
Yang, Qi
Geng, Wanting
Zheng, Boyun
Li, Chenxin
Chen, Wenting
Peng, Houwen
Yuan, Yixuan
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Artificial Intelligence
Medical image segmentation is evolving from task-specific models toward generalizable frameworks. Recent research leverages Multi-modal Large Language Models (MLLMs) as autonomous agents, employing reinforcement learning with verifiable reward (RLVR) to orchestrate specialized tools like the Segment Anything Model (SAM). However, these approaches often rely on single-turn, rigid interaction strategies and lack process-level supervision during training, which hinders their ability to fully exploit the dynamic potential of interactive tools and leads to redundant actions. To bridge this gap, we propose MedSAM-Agent, a framework that reformulates interactive segmentation as a multi-step autonomous decision-making process. First, we introduce a hybrid prompting strategy for expert-curated trajectory generation, enabling the model to internalize human-like decision heuristics and adaptive refinement strategies. Furthermore, we develop a two-stage training pipeline that integrates multi-turn, end-to-end outcome verification with a clinical-fidelity process reward design to promote interaction parsimony and decision efficiency. Extensive experiments across 6 medical modalities and 21 datasets demonstrate that MedSAM-Agent achieves state-of-the-art performance, effectively unifying autonomous medical reasoning with robust, iterative optimization. Code is available \href{https://github.com/CUHK-AIM-Group/MedSAM-Agent}{here}.
title MedSAM-Agent: Empowering Interactive Medical Image Segmentation with Multi-turn Agentic Reinforcement Learning
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.03320