Acute ischemic stroke lesion segmentation in non-contrast CT images using 3D convolutional neural networks

In this paper, an automatic algorithm aimed at volumetric segmentation of acute ischemic stroke lesion in non-contrast computed tomography brain 3D images is proposed. Our deep-learning approach is based on the popular 3D U-Net convolutional neural network architecture, which was modified by adding the squeeze-and-excitation blocks and residual connections. Robust pre-processing methods were implemented to improve the segmentation accuracy. Moreover, a specific patches sampling strategy was used to address the large size of medical images, to smooth out the effect of the class imbalance problem and to stabilize neural network training. All experiments were performed using five-fold cross-validation on the dataset containing non-contrast computed tomography volumetric brain scans of 81 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke. Two radiology experts manually segmented images independently and then verified the labeling results for inconsistencies. The quantitative results of the proposed algorithm and obtained segmentation were measured by the Dice similarity coefficient, sensitivity, specificity and precision metrics. Our proposed model achieves an average Dice of $0.628\pm0.033$, sensitivity of $0.699\pm0.039$, specificity of $0.9965\pm0.0016$ and precision of $0.619\pm0.036$, showing promising segmentation results.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

A Review on Computer Aided Diagnosis of Acute Brain Stroke.

Amongst the most common causes of death globally, stroke is one of top three affecting over 100 million people worldwide annually. There are two classes of stroke, namely ischemic stroke (due to impairment of blood supply, accounting for ~70% of all strokes) and hemorrhagic stroke (due to bleeding), both of which can result, if untreated, in permanently damaged brain tissue. The discovery that the affected brain tissue (i.e., 'ischemic penumbra') can be salvaged from permanent damage and the bourgeoning growth in computer aided diagnosis has led to major advances in stroke management. Abiding to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we have surveyed a total of 177 research papers published between 2010 and 2021 to highlight the current status and challenges faced by computer aided diagnosis (CAD), machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) based techniques for CT and MRI as prime modalities for stroke detection and lesion region segmentation. This work concludes by showcasing the current requirement of this domain, the preferred modality, and prospective research areas

ANALYSIS OF CIRCULATORY SYSTEM PATHOLOGIES IN HEAD CT DATA – HEMORRHAGE LOCALIZATION

Acute ischemic stroke and intracranial hemorrhages (ICH) represent critical situations for the patient. Rapid accurate diagnosis and therapy are required to prevent serious lifelong consequences or death. In the case of suspected head circulatory pathology, computed tomography (CT) is often the first choice among imaging techniques because of its availability, speed and reliability. In order to refine and speed up the diagnostic process, advanced algorithms implemented in computer aided diagnosis systems are currently being developed. This paper presents approaches to an automatic ICH localization as a part of a research project aimed at the development of machine learning methods for the analysis of circulatory disorders in head CT scans. Three designed deep learning-based algorithms are described and compared for prediction of the exact position of ICH within a 3D CT scan, and in two cases also for classification into the sub-types. An objective evaluation of the methods is presented along with a discussion of the results. Further possibilities for circulatory diseases analysis in head CT scans using modern algorithms are also discussed

ADL-BSDF: A Deep Learning Framework for Brain Stroke Detection from MRI Scans towards an Automated Clinical Decision Support System

Deep learning has emerged to be efficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) phenomena to solve problems in healthcare industry. Particularly Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models have attracted researchers due to their efficiency in medical image analysis. According to World Health Organization (WHO), rapidly developing cerebral malfunction, brain stroke, is the second leading cause of death across the globe. Brain MRI scans, when analysed quantitatively, play vital role in diagnosis and treatment of stroke. There are many existing methods built on deep learning for stroke diagnosis. However, an automatic, reliable and faster method that not only helps in stroke diagnosis but also demarcate affected regions as part of Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) is much desired. Towards this objective, we proposed an Automated Deep Learning based Brain Stroke Detection Framework (ADL-BSDF). It does not rely on expertise of healthcare professional in diagnosis and know the extent of damage enabling physician to make quick decisions. The framework is realized by two algorithms proposed. The first algorithm known as CNN-based Deep Learning for Brain Stroke Detection (CNNDL-BSD) focuses on accurate detection of stroke. The second algorithm, Deep Auto encoder for Stroke Severity Detection (DA-SSD), focuses on revealing extent of damage or severity of the stroke. The framework is evaluated against state of the art deep learning models such as EfficientNet, ResNet50 and VGG16