Modern Trends in Biomedical Image Analysis System Design

Abstract

1.1 Automated microscopy systems Nowadays the combination of progressive information technologies, modern methods and algorithms of processing, analysis and synthesis of images together with medicine has resulted in the emergence of a new branch or field, called telemedicine. Telemedicine is distant diagnostics based on image analysis and processing of human organs cells. There are the following directions in this field: medical-biological research automation (that is computer systems design, which provides input, processing and analysis of images); development and application of algorithms of biomedical images pre-processing, which improves quality of images; image analysis (feature extraction, classifiers development, etc.) and data transfer network technologies. This problem has been studied by many scientists. Today the analysis of medical-biological specimens (cytological and histological smears) in diagnostic laboratories is conducted by visual inspection. This process is routine and labour intensive. That’s why the automated microscopy systems (AMSs) – software-hardware complexes appeared for the digital processing of microscopic images. AMS includes motorized controlled microscope, video camera, optical adapters, computer, and specialized software modules. In general the medical complexes for automated microscopy are made to provide higher productivity of medical work; improve analysis accuracy, availability of intensive labour-consuming and rare analyses, quality control, telemedicine; to collect and archive specimen image; and better learning, service and certification. AMS provides the following levels of microscopic analyses automations: 1. Visual analysis, documenting and telemedicine; 2. Analysis of images in order to determine the specimen characteristics; 3. Automation of movements and inspection of specimen. Morphometry of cells is only the one of the automated methods in AMS. Basic steps of cytological and histological analysis are the following: selection of an object of investigation, preparation for microscope inspection, microscopy techniques application, qualitative and quantitative analysis of images. Type, structure and functions of the system are dictated by actual task, objects class of research and financial ability of user. Problem definition. The actual tasks are projecting of AMS hardware and software structures based on the hardware components existing in the market and development of the own software for histological and cytological image analysis.