27 research outputs found
Advanced Artery / Vein Classification System in Retinal Images for Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is that the single largest explanation for sight loss and visual impairment in eighteen to sixty five year olds. Screening programs for the calculable 1 to 6 % of the diabetic population are incontestable to be value and sight saving, but unfortunately there are inadequate screening resources. An automatic screening system might facilitate to solve this resource short fall.The retinal vasculature consists of the arteries and veins with their tributaries that are visible at intervals in the retinal images.This paper proposes a graphbased artery vein classification system inretinal images for diabetic retinopathybased on the structural informationextracted from the retinalvasculature. The method at first extracts agraph from the vascular tree and then makes a decision on the typeof each intersection point (graph node).Based on this node types one of the twolabels are assigned to each vessel segment.Finally, the A/V classes are assigned tothe sub graph labels by extracting a set ofintensity features and using artificialneural network.
DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15017
Segmentation Of Retinal Vasculature Using Contourlet Enhancement For Early Detection Of Diabetic Retinapthy
In this project we use contourlet transform rather than wavelet transform because the contourlet transform was proven to require less number of coefficient compared to wavelet and contourlet also have the ability to detect directional signal. The enhanced blood vessel will be extract by BottomHat. This transformation works by isolating dark object on light surrounding
Caracterización del Edema Macular Diabético mediante análisis automático de Tomografías de Coherencia Óptica
Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Computación. 5009V01[Abstract] Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is one of the most important complications of
diabetes and a leading cause of preventable blindness in the developed countries.
Among the di erent image modalities, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is
a non-invasive, cross-sectional and high-resolution imaging technique that is commonly
used for the analysis and interpretation of many retinal structures and ocular
disorders. In this way, the development of Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems
has become relevant over the recent years, facilitating and simplifying the work
of the clinical specialists in many relevant diagnostic processes, replacing manual
procedures that are tedious and highly time-consuming.
This thesis proposes a complete methodology for the identi cation and characterization
of DMEs using OCT images. To do so, the system combines and exploits
di erent clinical knowledge with image processing and machine learning strategies.
This automatic system is able to identify and characterize the main retinal structures
and several pathological conditions that are associated with the DME disease, following
the clinical classi cation of reference in the ophthalmological eld. Despite
the complexity and heterogeneity of this relevant ocular pathology, the proposed
system achieved satisfactory results, proving to be robust enough to be used in the
daily clinical practice, helping the clinicians to produce a more accurate diagnosis
and indicate adequate treatments[Resumen] El Edema Macular Diabético (EMD) es una de las complicaciones más importantes
de la diabetes y una de las principales causas de ceguera prevenible en los países
desarrollados. Entre las diferentes modalidades de imagen, la Tomografía de Coherencia
Óptica (TCO) es una técnica de imagen no invasiva, transversal y de alta
resolución que se usa comúnmente para el análisis e interpretación de múltiples
estructuras retinianas y trastornos oculares. De esta manera, el desarrollo de los
sistemas de Diagnóstico Asistido por Ordenador (DAO) se ha vuelto relevante en
los últimos años, facilitando y simplificando el trabajo de los especialistas clínicos
en muchos procesos diagnósticos relevantes, reemplazando procedimientos manuales
que son tediosos y requieren mucho tiempo.
Esta tesis propone una metodología completa para la identificación y caracterización
de EMDs utilizando imágenes TCO. Para ello, el sistema desarrollado combina
y explota diferentes conocimientos clínicos con estrategias de procesamiento
de imágenes y aprendizaje automático. Este sistema automático es capaz de identificar y caracterizar las principales estructuras retinianas y diferentes afecciones
patológicas asociadas con el EMD, siguiendo la clasificación clínica de referencia
en el campo oftalmológico. A pesar de la complejidad de esta relevante patología
ocular, el sistema propuesto logró resultados satisfactorios, demostrando ser lo sufi
cientemente robusto como para ser usado en la práctica clínica diaria, ayudando a
los médicos a producir diagnósticos más precisos y tratamientos más adecuados.[Resumo] O Edema Macular Diabético ( EMD) é unha das complicacións máis importantes da diabetes e unha das principais causas de cegueira prevenible nos países desenvoltos. Entre as diferentes modalidades de imaxe, a Tomografía de Coherencia Óptica ( TCO) é unha técnica de imaxe non invasiva, transversal e de alta resolución que se usa comunmente para a análise e interpretación de múltiples estruturas retinianas e trastornos oculares. Desta maneira, o desenvolvemento dos sistemas de Diagnóstico Asistido por Computador ( DAO) volveuse relevante nos últimos anos, facilitando e simplificando o traballo dos especialistas clínicos en moitos procesos diagnósticos relevantes, substituíndo procedementos manuais que son tediosos e requiren moito tempo. Esta tese propón unha metodoloxía completa para a identificación e caracterización de EMDs utilizando imaxes TCO. Para iso, o sistema desenvolto combina e explota diferentes coñecementos clínicos con estratexias de procesamento de imaxes e aprendizaxe automático. Este sistema automático é capaz de identificar e caracterizar as principais estruturas retinianas e diferentes afeccións patolóxicas asociadas co EMD, seguindo a clasificación clínica de referencia no campo oftalmolóxico. A pesar da complexidade desta relevante patoloxía ocular, o sistema proposto logrou resultados satisfactorios, demostrando ser o sufi cientemente robusto como para ser usado na práctica clínica diaria, axudando aos médicos para producir diagnósticos máis precisos e tratamentos máis adecuados
Detection and Classification of Diabetic Retinopathy Pathologies in Fundus Images
Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a disease that affects up to 80% of diabetics around the world. It is the second greatest cause of blindness in the Western world, and one of the leading causes of blindness in the U.S. Many studies have demonstrated that early treatment can reduce the number of sight-threatening DR cases, mitigating the medical and economic impact of the disease. Accurate, early detection of eye disease is important because of its potential to reduce rates of blindness worldwide. Retinal photography for DR has been promoted for decades for its utility in both disease screening and clinical research studies. In recent years, several research centers have presented systems to detect pathology in retinal images. However, these approaches apply specialized algorithms to detect specific types of lesion in the retina. In order to detect multiple lesions, these systems generally implement multiple algorithms. Furthermore, some of these studies evaluate their algorithms on a single dataset, thus avoiding potential problems associated with the differences in fundus imaging devices, such as camera resolution. These methodologies primarily employ bottom-up approaches, in which the accurate segmentation of all the lesions in the retina is the basis for correct determination. A disadvantage of bottom-up approaches is that they rely on the accurate segmentation of all lesions in order to measure performance. On the other hand, top-down approaches do not depend on the segmentation of specific lesions. Thus, top-down methods can potentially detect abnormalities not explicitly used in their training phase. A disadvantage of these methods is that they cannot identify specific pathologies and require large datasets to build their training models. In this dissertation, I merged the advantages of the top-down and bottom-up approaches to detect DR with high accuracy. First, I developed an algorithm based on a top-down approach to detect abnormalities in the retina due to DR. By doing so, I was able to evaluate DR pathologies other than microaneurysms and exudates, which are the main focus of most current approaches. In addition, I demonstrated good generalization capacity of this algorithm by applying it to other eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration. Due to the fact that high accuracy is required for sight-threatening conditions, I developed two bottom-up approaches, since it has been proven that bottom-up approaches produce more accurate results than top-down approaches for particular structures. Consequently, I developed an algorithm to detect exudates in the macula. The presence of this pathology is considered to be a surrogate for clinical significant macular edema (CSME), a sight-threatening condition of DR. The analysis of the optic disc is usually not taken into account in DR screening systems. However, there is a pathology called neovascularization that is present in advanced stages of DR, making its detection of crucial clinical importance. In order to address this problem, I developed an algorithm to detect neovascularization in the optic disc. These algorithms are based on amplitude-modulation and frequency-modulation (AM-FM) representations, morphological image processing methods, and classification algorithms. The methods were tested on a diverse set of large databases and are considered to be the state-of the art in this field
Deep Learning Techniques for Automated Analysis and Processing of High Resolution Medical Imaging
Programa Oficial de Doutoramento en Computación . 5009V01[Abstract]
Medical imaging plays a prominent role in modern clinical practice for numerous
medical specialties. For instance, in ophthalmology, different imaging techniques are
commonly used to visualize and study the eye fundus. In this context, automated
image analysis methods are key towards facilitating the early diagnosis and adequate
treatment of several diseases. Nowadays, deep learning algorithms have already
demonstrated a remarkable performance for different image analysis tasks. However,
these approaches typically require large amounts of annotated data for the training
of deep neural networks. This complicates the adoption of deep learning approaches,
especially in areas where large scale annotated datasets are harder to obtain, such
as in medical imaging.
This thesis aims to explore novel approaches for the automated analysis of medical
images, particularly in ophthalmology. In this regard, the main focus is on
the development of novel deep learning-based approaches that do not require large
amounts of annotated training data and can be applied to high resolution images.
For that purpose, we have presented a novel paradigm that allows to take advantage
of unlabeled complementary image modalities for the training of deep neural
networks. Additionally, we have also developed novel approaches for the detailed
analysis of eye fundus images. In that regard, this thesis explores the analysis of
relevant retinal structures as well as the diagnosis of different retinal diseases. In
general, the developed algorithms provide satisfactory results for the analysis of the
eye fundus, even when limited annotated training data is available.[Resumen]
Las técnicas de imagen tienen un papel destacado en la práctica clínica moderna
de numerosas especialidades médicas. Por ejemplo, en oftalmología es común el uso
de diferentes técnicas de imagen para visualizar y estudiar el fondo de ojo. En este
contexto, los métodos automáticos de análisis de imagen son clave para facilitar
el diagnóstico precoz y el tratamiento adecuado de diversas enfermedades. En la
actualidad, los algoritmos de aprendizaje profundo ya han demostrado un notable
rendimiento en diferentes tareas de análisis de imagen. Sin embargo, estos métodos
suelen necesitar grandes cantidades de datos etiquetados para el entrenamiento de
las redes neuronales profundas. Esto complica la adopción de los métodos de aprendizaje
profundo, especialmente en áreas donde los conjuntos masivos de datos etiquetados
son más difíciles de obtener, como es el caso de la imagen médica.
Esta tesis tiene como objetivo explorar nuevos métodos para el análisis automático de imagen médica, concretamente en oftalmología. En este sentido, el foco
principal es el desarrollo de nuevos métodos basados en aprendizaje profundo que no
requieran grandes cantidades de datos etiquetados para el entrenamiento y puedan
aplicarse a imágenes de alta resolución. Para ello, hemos presentado un nuevo
paradigma que permite aprovechar modalidades de imagen complementarias no etiquetadas
para el entrenamiento de redes neuronales profundas. Además, también
hemos desarrollado nuevos métodos para el análisis en detalle de las imágenes del
fondo de ojo. En este sentido, esta tesis explora el análisis de estructuras retinianas
relevantes, así como el diagnóstico de diferentes enfermedades de la retina. En
general, los algoritmos desarrollados proporcionan resultados satisfactorios para el
análisis de las imágenes de fondo de ojo, incluso cuando la disponibilidad de datos
de entrenamiento etiquetados es limitada.[Resumo]
As técnicas de imaxe teñen un papel destacado na práctica clínica moderna de
numerosas especialidades médicas. Por exemplo, en oftalmoloxía é común o uso
de diferentes técnicas de imaxe para visualizar e estudar o fondo de ollo. Neste
contexto, os métodos automáticos de análises de imaxe son clave para facilitar o
diagn ostico precoz e o tratamento adecuado de diversas enfermidades. Na actualidade,
os algoritmos de aprendizaxe profunda xa demostraron un notable rendemento
en diferentes tarefas de análises de imaxe. Con todo, estes métodos adoitan necesitar
grandes cantidades de datos etiquetos para o adestramento das redes neuronais
profundas. Isto complica a adopción dos métodos de aprendizaxe profunda, especialmente
en áreas onde os conxuntos masivos de datos etiquetados son máis difíciles
de obter, como é o caso da imaxe médica.
Esta tese ten como obxectivo explorar novos métodos para a análise automática
de imaxe médica, concretamente en oftalmoloxía. Neste sentido, o foco principal
é o desenvolvemento de novos métodos baseados en aprendizaxe profunda que non
requiran grandes cantidades de datos etiquetados para o adestramento e poidan aplicarse
a imaxes de alta resolución. Para iso, presentamos un novo paradigma que
permite aproveitar modalidades de imaxe complementarias non etiquetadas para o
adestramento de redes neuronais profundas. Ademais, tamén desenvolvemos novos
métodos para a análise en detalle das imaxes do fondo de ollo. Neste sentido, esta
tese explora a análise de estruturas retinianas relevantes, así como o diagnóstico de
diferentes enfermidades da retina. En xeral, os algoritmos desenvolvidos proporcionan
resultados satisfactorios para a análise das imaxes de fondo de ollo, mesmo
cando a dispoñibilidade de datos de adestramento etiquetados é limitada
Computational Analysis of Fundus Images: Rule-Based and Scale-Space Models
Fundus images are one of the most important imaging examinations in modern ophthalmology
because they are simple, inexpensive and, above all, noninvasive.
Nowadays, the acquisition and
storage of highresolution
fundus images is relatively easy and fast. Therefore, fundus imaging
has become a fundamental investigation in retinal lesion detection, ocular health monitoring and
screening programmes. Given the large volume and clinical complexity associated with these images,
their analysis and interpretation by trained clinicians becomes a timeconsuming
task and is
prone to human error. Therefore, there is a growing interest in developing automated approaches
that are affordable and have high sensitivity and specificity. These automated approaches need to
be robust if they are to be used in the general population to diagnose and track retinal diseases. To
be effective, the automated systems must be able to recognize normal structures and distinguish
them from pathological clinical manifestations.
The main objective of the research leading to this thesis was to develop automated systems capable
of recognizing and segmenting retinal anatomical structures and retinal pathological clinical
manifestations associated with the most common retinal diseases. In particular, these automated
algorithms were developed on the premise of robustness and efficiency to deal with the difficulties
and complexity inherent in these images. Four objectives were considered in the analysis of
fundus images. Segmentation of exudates, localization of the optic disc, detection of the midline
of blood vessels, segmentation of the vascular network and detection of microaneurysms.
In addition, we also evaluated the detection of diabetic retinopathy on fundus images using the
microaneurysm detection method. An overview of the state of the art is presented to compare the
performance of the developed approaches with the main methods described in the literature for
each of the previously described objectives. To facilitate the comparison of methods, the state of
the art has been divided into rulebased
methods and machine learningbased
methods.
In the research reported in this paper, rulebased
methods based on image processing methods
were preferred over machine learningbased
methods. In particular, scalespace
methods proved
to be effective in achieving the set goals.
Two different approaches to exudate segmentation were developed. The first approach is based on
scalespace
curvature in combination with the local maximum of a scalespace
blob detector and
dynamic thresholds. The second approach is based on the analysis of the distribution function of
the maximum values of the noise map in combination with morphological operators and adaptive
thresholds. Both approaches perform a correct segmentation of the exudates and cope well with
the uneven illumination and contrast variations in the fundus images.
Optic disc localization was achieved using a new technique called cumulative sum fields, which was
combined with a vascular enhancement method. The algorithm proved to be reliable and efficient,
especially for pathological images. The robustness of the method was tested on 8 datasets.
The detection of the midline of the blood vessels was achieved using a modified corner detector
in combination with binary philtres and dynamic thresholding. Segmentation of the vascular network
was achieved using a new scalespace
blood vessels enhancement method. The developed
methods have proven effective in detecting the midline of blood vessels and segmenting vascular
networks.
The microaneurysm detection method relies on a scalespace
microaneurysm detection and labelling
system. A new approach based on the neighbourhood of the microaneurysms was used
for labelling. Microaneurysm detection enabled the assessment of diabetic retinopathy detection.
The microaneurysm detection method proved to be competitive with other methods, especially with highresolution
images. Diabetic retinopathy detection with the developed microaneurysm
detection method showed similar performance to other methods and human experts.
The results of this work show that it is possible to develop reliable and robust scalespace
methods
that can detect various anatomical structures and pathological features of the retina. Furthermore,
the results obtained in this work show that although recent research has focused on machine learning
methods, scalespace
methods can achieve very competitive results and typically have greater
independence from image acquisition. The methods developed in this work may also be relevant
for the future definition of new descriptors and features that can significantly improve the results
of automated methods.As imagens do fundo do olho são hoje um dos principais exames imagiológicos da oftalmologia
moderna, pela sua simplicidade, baixo custo e acima de tudo pelo seu carácter nãoinvasivo.
A
aquisição e armazenamento de imagens do fundo do olho com alta resolução é também relativamente
simples e rápida. Desta forma, as imagens do fundo do olho são um exame fundamental
na identificação de alterações retinianas, monitorização da saúde ocular, e em programas de rastreio.
Considerando o elevado volume e complexidade clínica associada a estas imagens, a análise
e interpretação das mesmas por clínicos treinados tornase
uma tarefa morosa e propensa a erros
humanos. Assim, há um interesse crescente no desenvolvimento de abordagens automatizadas,
acessíveis em custo, e com uma alta sensibilidade e especificidade. Estas devem ser robustas para
serem aplicadas à população em geral no diagnóstico e seguimento de doenças retinianas. Para
serem eficazes, os sistemas de análise têm que conseguir detetar e distinguir estruturas normais
de sinais patológicos.
O objetivo principal da investigação que levou a esta tese de doutoramento é o desenvolvimento
de sistemas automáticos capazes de detetar e segmentar as estruturas anatómicas da retina, e os
sinais patológicos retinianos associados às doenças retinianas mais comuns. Em particular, estes
algoritmos automatizados foram desenvolvidos segundo as premissas de robustez e eficácia para
lidar com as dificuldades e complexidades inerentes a estas imagens.
Foram considerados quatro objetivos de análise de imagens do fundo do olho. São estes, a segmentação
de exsudados, a localização do disco ótico, a deteção da linha central venosa dos vasos
sanguíneos e segmentação da rede vascular, e a deteção de microaneurismas. De acrescentar que
usando o método de deteção de microaneurismas, avaliouse
também a capacidade de deteção da
retinopatia diabética em imagens do fundo do olho.
Para comparar o desempenho das metodologias desenvolvidas neste trabalho, foi realizado um
levantamento do estado da arte, onde foram considerados os métodos mais relevantes descritos na
literatura para cada um dos objetivos descritos anteriormente. Para facilitar a comparação entre
métodos, o estado da arte foi dividido em metodologias de processamento de imagem e baseadas
em aprendizagem máquina.
Optouse
no trabalho de investigação desenvolvido pela utilização de metodologias de análise espacial
de imagem em detrimento de metodologias baseadas em aprendizagem máquina. Em particular,
as metodologias baseadas no espaço de escalas mostraram ser efetivas na obtenção dos
objetivos estabelecidos.
Para a segmentação de exsudados foram usadas duas abordagens distintas. A primeira abordagem
baseiase
na curvatura em espaço de escalas em conjunto com a resposta máxima local de um detetor
de manchas em espaço de escalas e limiares dinâmicos. A segunda abordagem baseiase
na
análise do mapa de distribuição de ruído em conjunto com operadores morfológicos e limiares
adaptativos. Ambas as abordagens fazem uma segmentação dos exsudados de elevada precisão,
além de lidarem eficazmente com a iluminação nãouniforme
e a variação de contraste presente
nas imagens do fundo do olho. A localização do disco ótico foi conseguida com uma nova técnica
designada por campos de soma acumulativos, combinada com métodos de melhoramento da rede
vascular. O algoritmo revela ser fiável e eficiente, particularmente em imagens patológicas. A robustez
do método foi verificada pela sua avaliação em oito bases de dados. A deteção da linha central
dos vasos sanguíneos foi obtida através de um detetor de cantos modificado em conjunto com
filtros binários e limiares dinâmicos. A segmentação da rede vascular foi conseguida com um novo
método de melhoramento de vasos sanguíneos em espaço de escalas. Os métodos desenvolvidos mostraram ser eficazes na deteção da linha central dos vasos sanguíneos e na segmentação da rede
vascular. Finalmente, o método para a deteção de microaneurismas assenta num formalismo de
espaço de escalas na deteção e na rotulagem dos microaneurismas. Para a rotulagem foi utilizada
uma nova abordagem da vizinhança dos candidatos a microaneurismas. A deteção de microaneurismas
permitiu avaliar também a deteção da retinopatia diabética. O método para a deteção
de microaneurismas mostrou ser competitivo quando comparado com outros métodos, em particular
em imagens de alta resolução. A deteção da retinopatia diabética exibiu um desempenho
semelhante a outros métodos e a especialistas humanos.
Os trabalhos descritos nesta tese mostram ser possível desenvolver uma abordagem fiável e robusta
em espaço de escalas capaz de detetar diferentes estruturas anatómicas e sinais patológicos
da retina.
Além disso, os resultados obtidos mostram que apesar de a pesquisa mais recente concentrarse
em metodologias de aprendizagem máquina, as metodologias de análise espacial apresentam
resultados muito competitivos e tipicamente independentes do equipamento de aquisição das imagens.
As metodologias desenvolvidas nesta tese podem ser importantes na definição de novos
descritores e características, que podem melhorar significativamente o resultado de métodos automatizados
Automatic Segmentation of Optic Disc in Eye Fundus Images: A Survey
Optic disc detection and segmentation is one of the key elements for automatic retinal disease screening systems. The aim of this survey paper is to review, categorize and compare the optic disc detection algorithms and methodologies, giving a description of each of them, highlighting their key points and performance measures. Accordingly, this survey firstly overviews the anatomy of the eye fundus showing its main structural components along with their properties and functions. Consequently, the survey reviews the image enhancement techniques and also categorizes the image segmentation methodologies for the optic disc which include property-based methods, methods based on convergence of blood vessels, and model-based methods. The performance of segmentation algorithms is evaluated using a number of publicly available databases of retinal images via evaluation metrics which include accuracy and true positive rate (i.e. sensitivity). The survey, at the end, describes the different abnormalities occurring within the optic disc region
Accurate Image Analysis of the Retina Using Hessian Matrix and Binarisation of Thresholded Entropy with Application of Texture Mapping
In this paper, we demonstrate a comprehensive method for segmenting the retinal vasculature in camera images of the fundus. This is of interest in the area of diagnostics for eye diseases that affect the blood vessels in the eye. In a departure from other state-of-the-art methods, vessels are first pre-grouped together with graph partitioning, using a spectral clustering technique based on morphological features. Local curvature is estimated over the whole image using eigenvalues of Hessian matrix in order to enhance the vessels, which appear as ridges in images of the retina. The result is combined with a binarized image, obtained using a threshold that maximizes entropy, to extract the retinal vessels from the background. Speckle type noise is reduced by applying a connectivity constraint on the extracted curvature based enhanced image. This constraint is varied over the image according to each region's predominant blood vessel size. The resultant image exhibits the central light reflex of retinal arteries and veins, which prevents the segmentation of whole vessels. To address this, the earlier entropy-based binarization technique is repeated on the original image, but crucially, with a different threshold to incorporate the central reflex vessels. The final segmentation is achieved by combining the segmented vessels with and without central light reflex. We carry out our approach on DRIVE and REVIEW, two publicly available collections of retinal images for research purposes. The obtained results are compared with state-of-the-art methods in the literature using metrics such as sensitivity (true positive rate), selectivity (false positive rate) and accuracy rates for the DRIVE images and measured vessel widths for the REVIEW images. Our approach out-performs the methods in the literature.Xiaoxia Yin, Brian W-H Ng, Jing He, Yanchun Zhang, Derek Abbot
Automatic Segmentation of Optic Disc in Eye Fundus Images : a Survey
Optic disc detection and segmentation is one of the key elements for automatic retinal disease screening systems. The aim of this survey paper is to review, categorize and compare the optic disc detection algorithms and methodologies, giving a description of each of them, highlighting their key points and performance measures. Accordingly, this survey firstly overviews the anatomy of the eye fundus showing its main structural components along with their properties and functions. Consequently, the survey reviews the image enhancement techniques and also categorizes the image segmentation methodologies for the optic disc which include property-based methods, methods based on convergence of blood vessels, and model-based methods. The performance of segmentation algorithms is evaluated using a number of publicly available databases of retinal images via evaluation metrics which include accuracy and true positive rate (i.e. sensitivity). The survey, at the end, describes the different abnormalities occurring within the optic disc region