Abnormal Infant Movements Classification With Deep Learning on Pose-Based Features

The pursuit of early diagnosis of cerebral palsy has been an active research area with some very promising results using tools such as the General Movements Assessment (GMA). In our previous work, we explored the feasibility of extracting pose-based features from video sequences to automatically classify infant body movement into two categories, normal and abnormal. The classification was based upon the GMA, which was carried out on the video data by an independent expert reviewer. In this paper we extend our previous work by extracting the normalised pose-based feature sets, Histograms of Joint Orientation 2D (HOJO2D) and Histograms of Joint Displacement 2D (HOJD2D), for use in new deep learning architectures. We explore the viability of using these pose-based feature sets for automated classification within a deep learning framework by carrying out extensive experiments on five new deep learning architectures. Experimental results show that the proposed fully connected neural network FCNet performed robustly across different feature sets. Furthermore, the proposed convolutional neural network architectures demonstrated excellent performance in handling features in higher dimensionality. We make the code, extracted features and associated GMA labels publicly available

Establishing Pose Based Features Using Histograms for the Detection of Abnormal Infant Movements

The pursuit of early diagnosis of cerebral palsy has been an active research area with some very promising results using tools such as the General Movements Assessment (GMA). In this paper, we conducted a pilot study on extracting important information from video sequences to classify the body movement into two categories, normal and abnormal, and compared the results provided by an independent expert reviewer based on GMA. We present two new pose-based features, Histograms of Joint Orientation 2D (HOJO2D) and Histograms of Joint Displacement 2D (HOJD2D), for the pose-based analysis and classification of infant body movement from video footage. We extract the 2D skeletal joint locations from 2D RGB images using Cao et al.’s method 1. Using the MINI-RGBD dataset 2, we further segment the body into local regions to extract part specific features. As a result, the pose and the degree of displacement are represented by histograms of normalised data. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed features, we trained several classifiers using combinations of HOJO2D and HOJD2D features and conducted a series of experiments to classify the body movement into categories. The classification algorithms used included k-Nearest Neighbour (kNN, k=1 and k=3), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and the Ensemble classifier. Encouraging results were attained, with high accuracy (91.67{\%}) obtained using the Ensemble classifier

A Pose-based Feature Fusion and Classification Framework for the Early Prediction of Cerebral Palsy in Infants

The early diagnosis of cerebral palsy is an area which has recently seen significant multi-disciplinary research. Diagnostic tools such as the General Movements Assessment (GMA), have produced some very promising results. However, the prospect of automating these processes may improve accessibility of the assessment and also enhance the understanding of movement development of infants. Previous works have established the viability of using pose-based features extracted from RGB video sequences to undertake classification of infant body movements based upon the GMA. In this paper, we propose a series of new and improved features, and a feature fusion pipeline for this classification task. We also introduce the RVI-38 dataset, a series of videos captured as part of routine clinical care. By utilising this challenging dataset we establish the robustness of several motion features for classification, subsequently informing the design of our proposed feature fusion framework based upon the GMA. We evaluate our proposed framework’s classification performance using both the RVI-38 dataset and the publicly available MINI-RGBD dataset. We also implement several other methods from the literature for direct comparison using these two independent datasets. Our experimental results and feature analysis show that our proposed pose-based method performs well across both datasets. The proposed features afford us the opportunity to include finer detail than previous methods, and further model GMA specific body movements. These new features also allow us to take advantage of additional body-part specific information as a means of improving the overall classification performance, whilst retaining GMA relevant, interpretable, and shareable features

Towards Explainable Abnormal Infant Movements Identification: A Body-part Based Prediction and Visualisation Framework

Providing early diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP) is key to enhancing the developmental outcomes for those affected. Diagnostic tools such as the General Movements Assessment (GMA), have produced promising results in early diagnosis, however these manual methods can be laborious. In this paper, we propose a new framework for the automated classification of infant body movements, based upon the GMA, which unlike previous methods, also incorporates a visualization framework to aid with interpretability. Our proposed framework segments extracted features to detect the presence of Fidgety Movements (FMs) associated with the GMA spatiotemporally. These features are then used to identify the body-parts with the greatest contribution towards a classification decision and highlight the related body-part segment providing visual feedback to the user. We quantitatively compare the proposed framework's classification performance with several other methods from the literature and qualitatively evaluate the visualization's veracity. Our experimental results show that the proposed method performs more robustly than comparable techniques in this setting whilst simultaneously providing relevant visual interpretability

National priority setting partnership using a Delphi consensus process to develop neonatal research questions suitable for practice-changing randomised trials in the UK

BACKGROUND: The provision of neonatal care is variable and commonly lacks adequate evidence base; strategic development of methodologically robust clinical trials is needed to improve outcomes and maximise research resources. Historically, neonatal research topics have been selected by researchers; prioritisation processes involving wider stakeholder groups have generally identified research themes rather than specific questions amenable to interventional trials. OBJECTIVE: To involve stakeholders including parents, healthcare professionals and researchers to identify and prioritise research questions suitable for answering in neonatal interventional trials in the UK. DESIGN: Research questions were submitted by stakeholders in population, intervention, comparison, outcome format through an online platform. Questions were reviewed by a representative steering group; duplicates and previously answered questions were removed. Eligible questions were entered into a three-round online Delphi survey for prioritisation by all stakeholder groups. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and eight respondents submitted research questions for consideration; 144 participants completed round one of the Delphi survey, 106 completed all three rounds. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-five research questions were submitted and after steering group review, 186 entered into the Delphi survey. The top five ranked research questions related to breast milk fortification, intact cord resuscitation, timing of surgical intervention in necrotising enterocolitis, therapeutic hypothermia for mild hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and non-invasive respiratory support. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified and prioritised research questions suitable for practice-changing interventional trials in neonatal medicine in the UK at the present time. Trials targeting these uncertainties have potential to reduce research waste and improve neonatal care

National priority setting partnership using a Delphi consensus process to develop neonatal research questions suitable for practice-changing randomised trials in the United Kingdom

Introduction: Methodologically robust clinical trials are required to improve neonatal care and reduce unwanted variations in practice. Previous neonatal research prioritisation processes have identified important research themes rather than specific research questions amenable to clinical trials. Practice-changing trials require well-defined research questions, commonly organised using the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) structure. By narrowing the scope of research priorities to those which can be answered in clinical trials and by involving a wide range of different stakeholders, we aim to provide a robust and transparent process to identify and prioritise research questions answerable within the National Healthcare System to inform future practice-changing clinical trials. Methods and analysis: A steering group comprising parents, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers and representatives from key organisations (Neonatal Society, British Association of Perinatal Medicine, Neonatal Nurses Association and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) was identified to oversee this project. We will invite submissions of research questions formatted using the PICO structure from the following stakeholder groups using an online questionnaire: parents, patients, healthcare professionals and academic researchers. Unanswered, non-duplicate research questions will be entered into a three-round eDelphi survey of all stakeholder groups. Research questions will be ranked by mean aggregate scores. Ethics and dissemination: The final list of prioritised research questions will be disseminated through traditional academic channels, directly to key stakeholder groups through representative organisations and on social media. The outcome of the project will be shared with key research organisations such as the National Institute for Health Research. Research ethics committee approval is not required

Protocol: A national priority setting partnership using a Delphi consensus process to develop neonatal research questions suitable for practice-changing randomised trials in the United Kingdom

Introduction. Methodologically robust clinical trials are required to improve neonatal care and reduce unwanted variations in practice. Previous neonatal research prioritisation processes have identified important research themes rather than specific research questions amenable to clinical trials. Practice-changing trials require well defined research questions, commonly organised using the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) structure. By narrowing the scope of research priorities to those which can be answered in clinical trials and by involving a wide range of different stakeholders, we aim to provide a robust and transparent process to identify and prioritise research questions answerable within the NHS to inform future practice-changing clinical trials. Methods and Analysis. A steering group comprising parents, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers, and representatives from key organisations (Neonatal Society (NS), British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM), Neonatal Nurses Association (NNA) and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)) was identified to oversee this project. We will invite submissions of research questions formatted using the PICO structure from the following stakeholder groups using an online questionnaire: parents, patients, healthcare professionals and academic researchers. Unanswered, non-duplicate research questions will be entered into a three round eDelphi survey of all stakeholder groups. Research questions will be ranked by mean aggregate scores. Ethics and Dissemination. The final list of prioritised research questions will be disseminated through traditional academic channels, directly to key stakeholder groups through representative organisations and on social media. The outcome of the project will be shared with key research organisations such as the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Research ethics committee approval is not required. Registration Details. Not registered

National priority setting partnership using a Delphi consensus process to develop neonatal research questions suitable for practice-changing randomised trials in the United Kingdom

Introduction: methodologically robust clinical trials are required to improve neonatal care and reduce unwanted variations in practice. Previous neonatal research prioritisation processes have identified important research themes rather than specific research questions amenable to clinical trials. Practice-changing trials require well-defined research questions, commonly organised using the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) structure. By narrowing the scope of research priorities to those which can be answered in clinical trials and by involving a wide range of different stakeholders, we aim to provide a robust and transparent process to identify and prioritise research questions answerable within the National Healthcare System to inform future practice-changing clinical trials.Methods and analysis: a steering group comprising parents, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers and representatives from key organisations (Neonatal Society, British Association of Perinatal Medicine, Neonatal Nurses Association and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) was identified to oversee this project. We will invite submissions of research questions formatted using the PICO structure from the following stakeholder groups using an online questionnaire: parents, patients, healthcare professionals and academic researchers. Unanswered, non-duplicate research questions will be entered into a three-round eDelphi survey of all stakeholder groups. Research questions will be ranked by mean aggregate scores.Ethics and dissemination: the final list of prioritised research questions will be disseminated through traditional academic channels, directly to key stakeholder groups through representative organisations and on social media. The outcome of the project will be shared with key research organisations such as the National Institute for Health Research. Research ethics committee approval is not required

National priority setting partnership using a Delphi consensus process to develop neonatal research questions suitable for practice-changing randomised trials in the UK

Background: the provision of neonatal care is variable and commonly lacks adequate evidence base; strategic development of methodologically robust clinical trials is needed to improve outcomes and maximise research resources. Historically, neonatal research topics have been selected by researchers; prioritisation processes involving wider stakeholder groups have generally identified research themes rather than specific questions amenable to interventional trials.Objective: to involve stakeholders including parents, healthcare professionals and researchers to identify and prioritise research questions suitable for answering in neonatal interventional trials in the UK.Design: research questions were submitted by stakeholders in population, intervention, comparison, outcome format through an online platform. Questions were reviewed by a representative steering group; duplicates and previously answered questions were removed. Eligible questions were entered into a three-round online Delphi survey for prioritisation by all stakeholder groups.Participants: one hundred and eight respondents submitted research questions for consideration; 144 participants completed round one of the Delphi survey, 106 completed all three rounds.Results: two hundred and sixty-five research questions were submitted and after steering group review, 186 entered into the Delphi survey. The top five ranked research questions related to breast milk fortification, intact cord resuscitation, timing of surgical intervention in necrotising enterocolitis, therapeutic hypothermia for mild hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and non-invasive respiratory support.Conclusions: we have identified and prioritised research questions suitable for practice-changing interventional trials in neonatal medicine in the UK at the present time. Trials targeting these uncertainties have potential to reduce research waste and improve neonatal care. </p