Definition of an automated Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) system for the comparison of dermoscopic images of pigmented skin lesions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>New generations of image-based diagnostic machines are based on digital technologies for data acquisition; consequently, the diffusion of digital archiving systems for diagnostic exams preservation and cataloguing is rapidly increasing. To overcome the limits of current state of art text-based access methods, we have developed a novel content-based search engine for dermoscopic images to support clinical decision making.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To this end, we have enrolled, from 2004 to 2008, 3415 caucasian patients and collected 24804 dermoscopic images corresponding to 20491 pigmented lesions with known pathology. The images were acquired with a well defined dermoscopy system and stored to disk in 24-bit per pixel TIFF format using interactive software developed in C++, in order to create a digital archive.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The analysis system of the images consists in the extraction of the low-level representative features which permits the retrieval of similar images in terms of colour and texture from the archive, by using a hierarchical multi-scale computation of the Bhattacharyya distance of all the database images representation with respect to the representation of user submitted (query).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The system is able to locate, retrieve and display dermoscopic images similar in appearance to one that is given as a query, using a set of primitive features not related to any specific diagnostic method able to visually characterize the image. Similar search engine could find possible usage in all sectors of diagnostic imaging, or digital signals, which could be supported by the information available in medical archives.</p

Basic concepts of advanced MRI techniques.

An overview is given of magnetic resonance (MR) techniques sensitized to diffusion, flow, magnetization transfer effect, and local field inhomogeneities induced by physiological changes, that can be viewed, in the clinical practice, as advanced because of their challenging implementation and interpretation. These techniques are known as diffusion-weighted, perfusion, magnetization transfer, functional MRI and MR spectroscopy. An important issue is that they can provide quantitative estimates of structural and functional characteristics that are below the voxel resolution. This review does not deal with the basic concepts of the MR physics and the description of the available acquisition and postprocessing methods, but hopefully provides an adequate background to readers and hence facilitate the understanding of the following clinical contributions

Wireless Low Energy System Architecture for Event-Driven Surface Electromyography

The development of surface ElectroMyoGraphy (sEMG) acquisition system having an optimal trade-off between accuracy, resolution, low dimension and power consumption is a hot topic today. The event-driven Average Threshold Crossing (ATC) technique applied to the sEMG signal allows the reduction of both complexity and power consumption of the acquisition board. The paper presents an sEMG acquisition system, based on this approach, and shows the advantages of the ATC in this field. A framework for developing bio-signal ATC-processing applications is provided, enabling the comparison with a standard sEMG sampling approach. Both system performance and power consumption analyses are carried out to obtain promising results in terms of real-time behavior and energy saving. As a sample application, the system is employed in the control of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) in way to verify the behavior of the ATC approach in such application