Abstract
BackgroundNew 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.MethodsTo 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.ResultsThe 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).ConclusionThe 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.
Highlights
New generations of image-based diagnostic machines are based on digital technologies for data acquisition; the diffusion of digital archiving systems for diagnostic exams preservation and cataloguing is rapidly increasing
We do not propose another pigmented skin lesions (PSLs) classification system, but a content-based image retrieval system for dermoscopic images as a diagnostic aid to the clinicians for skin cancer recognition. We argue that this kind of system, which is effective in retrieving PSL images with known pathology visually similar to the image under evaluation, may provide an intuitive and effective support to both inexperienced and experienced clinicians which can improve their diagnostic accuracy
Images retrieving The PSL images are acquired with a well defined dermoscopy system (Figure 1) and stored to disk in 24-bit per pixel TIFF format using interactive software developed in C++
Summary
New generations of image-based diagnostic machines are based on digital technologies for data acquisition; the diffusion of digital archiving systems for diagnostic exams preservation and cataloguing is rapidly increasing. Melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers currently constitute one of the most common malignancies in the caucasian population, and the worldwide incidence and mortality rates are continuously increasing [1]. BioMedical Engineering OnLine 2009, 8:18 http://www.biomedical-engineering-online.com/content/8/1/18 other cancer, reaching currently 18 new cases per 100.000 population per year in the United States [2]. One of the most widely used method for evaluating with naked-eye pigmented skin lesions (PSLs) is the ABCD rule [3]. This system may fail to detect many difficult or borderline PSLs which are small or/and regular in shape or color
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