Blood cells image segmentation and counting using deep transfer learning

Abstract

In this paper, we present a two-step automatic blood cell counting approach for accurately and efficiently determining the complete blood count (CBC). The approach involves using two convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for the segmentation of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, and then applying three different algorithms (Watershed, Connected Component Labeling, and Circle Hough Transform) to count the cells present in the masks produced by the CNNs. We also introduce a loss function for the Circle Hough Transform algorithm to further improve its accuracy. Our approach shows good results compared to other methods in the literature and has the potential to significantly reduce the time and effort required for manual blood cell counting.