Abstract
We present a light field digital otoscope designed to measure three-dimensional shape of the tympanic membrane. This paper describes the optical and anatomical considerations we used to develop the prototype, along with the simulation and experimental measurements of vignetting, field curvature, and lateral resolution. Using an experimental evaluation procedure, we have determined depth accuracy and depth precision of our system to be 0.05-0.07 mm and 0.21-0.44 mm, respectively. To demonstrate the application of our light field otoscope, we present the first three-dimensional reconstructions of tympanic membranes in normal and otitis media conditions, acquired from children who participated in a feasibility study at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Highlights
Acute otitis media (AOM), or middle ear infection, is the most common infection for which antimicrobial agents are prescribed for children in the United States [1]
The procedure for diagnosing AOM involves visualizing the tympanic membrane (TM), commonly called the eardrum, with a pneumatic otoscope or an otoendoscope. Studies using these instruments have shown that bulging and discoloration of the TM are the two most effective diagnostic features that differentiate between a normal eardrum, an eardrum with AOM, and an eardrum with Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) [3]
The main contributions of this paper are the following: 1) we introduce a substantially improved optical design of Light Field Otoscope (LFO) compared to our prior work, and 2) we present for the first time, 3D color reconstructions of human tympanic membranes from children with different otitis media conditions
Summary
Acute otitis media (AOM), or middle ear infection, is the most common infection for which antimicrobial agents are prescribed for children in the United States [1]. The main contributions of this paper are the following: 1) we introduce a substantially improved optical design of LFO compared to our prior work, and 2) we present for the first time, 3D color reconstructions of human tympanic membranes from children with different otitis media conditions. The structured illumination otoscope [14] requires a projector to be integrated in the otoscope body, which makes it larger compared to current commercial otoscopes In comparison to these two prior art approaches, the LFO presented in this article uses a compact image sensor and passive illumination to stream live video with high acquisition time (19 fps with typical exposure time of 10-20 ms), a large FOV of 50 degrees, and the form factor similar to commercial digital otoscopes. The following section describes how these specifications were selected based on requirements for pediatric ear imaging
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