Abstract
Aim: High quality of all image elements must be maintained for the purpose of telepathology. The aim of this study was to compress the images of electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing samples using JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) and JPEG2000 algorithms, and to assess the quality of the compressed images before and after electronic transmission. Methods: Scanograms of serum protein electrophoresis samples of a patient with Zagreb albumin and albumin samples for isoelectric focusing of a patient with Krapina albumin were selected for the study together with a photographed scanogram of isoelectric focusing. Each image was compressed at eight compression rates (from 3.00 bpp (bit per pixel) to 0.1 bpp) using JPEG and JPEG2000 compression algorithms. All images (N = 51), both compressed and uncompressed, we retransmitted by email for assessment to eight medical biochemists: six from Croatia, one from Italy and one from Denmark. Image quality was also assessed by objective measures, i.e. compared to the quality of PSNR (Peak-Signal-to-Noise-Ratio), SNR (Signal-to-Noise-Ratio), OQF (Optimized Quality Factor) and MSE (Mean Squared Error) images. Results: All images compressed using the JPEG2000 algorithm were subjectively rated as excellent. Contrarily, images compressed using JPEG at 0.1 bpp were rated as completely useless, those at 0.2 bpp as moderately blurred, and those at 0.3-3.00 as excellent. At JPEG compression at 0.3 bpp, PSNR and SNR values corresponded to PSNR and SNR values obtained by JPEG2000 compression at 0.1 bpp.
Highlights
Telemedicine, which has integrated two specialties, i.e. medicine and telecommunications, has enabled rapid electronic transmission of laboratory images for various purposes: making initial diagnosis, obtaining a specialist’s second opinion, professional training and education, long-term data storage in digital format, and videoconferences (1)
According to subjective rating, the quality of images compressed by using JPEG2000 algorithm at 0.1-3.0 bpp and JPEG algorithm at 0.3-3.0 bpp was equal after electronic transmission to the quality of original images
Cilj je ovog rada bio komprimirati slike uzoraka elektroforeze i izoelektričnog fokusiranja algoritmima JPEG i JPEG2000 te procijeniti kvalitetu komprimiranih slika prije i poslije elektronskog prijenosa
Summary
Telemedicine, which has integrated two specialties, i.e. medicine and telecommunications, has enabled rapid electronic transmission of laboratory images (store-andforward telemedicine) for various purposes: making initial diagnosis, obtaining a specialist’s second opinion, professional training and education, long-term data storage in digital format, and videoconferences (interactive application in real time) (1). In a complex process of digitalization, compression and electronic image transmission, the quality of the original image must be entirely retained. In order not to lose high resolution of an original image by compression, quality algorithms must be applied for image compression along with a high capacity telephone network (4). Development, evaluation and standardization were carried out from 1982 to 1987, and in 1992 the JPEG Group finalized the specification of procedures for lossy and lossless compression of tone still images that was accepted as a national standard (5). JPEG 2000 algorithm can entirely or partially code databases without data loss, which makes it suitable for processing of medical images (6). The aim of this paper was to compress the images of electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing samples by JPEG and JPEG 2000 algorithms, and assess the quality of compressed images before and after their electronic transmission. Electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing images had been used in a multicentric evaluation of patients with bisalbuminemia
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