Medical Image Analysis Applications Research Articles

VLFATRollout: Fully transformer-based classifier for retinal OCT volumes

Background and Objective:Despite the promising capabilities of 3D transformer architectures in video analysis, their application to high-resolution 3D medical volumes encounters several challenges. One major limitation is the high number of 3D patches, which reduces the efficiency of the global self-attention mechanisms of transformers. Additionally, background information can distract vision transformers from focusing on crucial areas of the input image, thereby introducing noise into the final representation. Moreover, the variability in the number of slices per volume complicates the development of models capable of processing input volumes of any resolution while simple solutions like subsampling may risk losing essential diagnostic details. Methods:To address these challenges, we introduce an end-to-end transformer-based framework, variable length feature aggregator transformer rollout (VLFATRollout), to classify volumetric data. The proposed VLFATRollout enjoys several merits. First, the proposed VLFATRollout can effectively mine slice-level fore-background information with the help of transformer’s attention matrices. Second, randomization of volume-wise resolution (i.e. the number of slices) during training enhances the learning capacity of the learnable positional embedding (PE) assigned to each volume slice. This technique allows the PEs to generalize across neighboring slices, facilitating the handling of high-resolution volumes at the test time. Results:VLFATRollout was thoroughly tested on the retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) volume classification task, demonstrating a notable average improvement of 5.47% in balanced accuracy over the leading convolutional models for a 5-class diagnostic task. These results emphasize the effectiveness of our framework in enhancing slice-level representation and its adaptability across different volume resolutions, paving the way for advanced transformer applications in medical image analysis. The code is available at https://github.com/marziehoghbaie/VLFATRollout/.

Artificial bee colony-based nonrigid demons registration

The artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm has gained popularity in recent years for its ability to solve optimization problems. The accuracy and resilience of ABC-based image processing techniques have demonstrated encouraging outcomes. The ABC method is an excellent solution for image processing issues since it has the ability to swiftly and effectively explore the search space. The current research intends to address image registration issues by refining the existing image registration strategy using ABC algorithm. The process of nonrigid demons registration is frequently employed in the processing of medical images. The combination of these two techniques is referred to as the ABC-based nonrigid demons registration method. The proposed method has shown superior performance in registration accuracy and efficiency compared to other existing methods. Applications in medical image analysis and computer-assisted diagnosis are highly promising for the ABC-based nonrigid demons registration. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) and frameworks based on genetic algorithms (GA) have been compared with the suggested framework. The observed results showed improved accuracy and faster convergence in ABC-based demons registration.

Efficient artificial intelligence approaches for medical image processing in healthcare: comprehensive review, taxonomy, and analysis

In healthcare, medical practitioners employ various imaging techniques such as CT, X-ray, PET, and MRI to diagnose patients, emphasizing the crucial need for early disease detection to enhance survival rates. Medical Image Analysis (MIA) has undergone a transformative shift with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques such as Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL), promising advanced diagnostics and improved healthcare outcomes. Despite these advancements, a comprehensive understanding of the efficiency metrics, computational complexities, interpretability, and scalability of AI based approaches in MIA is essential for practical feasibility in real-world healthcare environments. Existing studies exploring AI applications in MIA lack a consolidated review covering the major MIA stages and specifically focused on evaluating the efficiency of AI based approaches. The absence of a structured framework limits decision-making for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in selecting and implementing optimal AI approaches in healthcare. Furthermore, the lack of standardized evaluation metrics complicates methodology comparison, hindering the development of efficient approaches. This article addresses these challenges through a comprehensive review, taxonomy, and analysis of existing AI-based MIA approaches in healthcare. The taxonomy covers major image processing stages, classifying AI approaches for each stage based on method and further analyzing them based on image origin, objective, method, dataset, and evaluation metrics to reveal their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, comparative analysis conducted to evaluate the efficiency of AI based MIA approaches over five publically available datasets: ISIC 2018, CVC-Clinic, 2018 DSB, DRIVE, and EM in terms of accuracy, precision, Recall, F-measure, mIoU, and specificity. The popular public datasets and evaluation metrics are briefly described and analyzed. The resulting taxonomy provides a structured framework for understanding the AI landscape in healthcare, facilitating evidence-based decision-making and guiding future research efforts toward the development of efficient and scalable AI approaches to meet current healthcare needs.

SFPL: Sample-specific fine-grained prototype learning for imbalanced medical image classification

Imbalanced classification is a common and difficult task in many medical image analysis applications. However, most existing approaches focus on balancing feature distribution and classifier weights between classes, while ignoring the inner-class heterogeneity and the individuality of each sample. In this paper, we proposed a sample-specific fine-grained prototype learning (SFPL) method to learn the fine-grained representation of the majority class and learn a cosine classifier specifically for each sample such that the classification model is highly tuned to the individual’s characteristic. SFPL first builds multiple prototypes to represent the majority class, and then updates the prototypes through a mixture weighting strategy. Moreover, we proposed a uniform loss based on set representations to make the fine-grained prototypes distribute uniformly. To establish associations between fine-grained prototypes and cosine classifier, we propose a selective attention aggregation module to select the effective fine-grained prototypes for final classification. Extensive experiments on three different tasks demonstrate that SFPL outperforms the state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods. Importantly, as the imbalance ratio increases from 10 to 100, the improvement of SFPL over SOTA methods increases from 2.2% to 2.4%; as the training data decreases from 800 to 100, the improvement of SFPL over SOTA methods increases from 2.2% to 3.8%.

Automatic detection of breast lesions in automated 3D breast ultrasound with cross-organ transfer learning

BackgroundDeep convolutional neural networks have garnered considerable attention in numerous machine learning applications, particularly in visual recognition tasks such as image and video analyses. There is a growing interest in applying this technology to diverse applications in medical image analysis. Automated three-dimensional Breast Ultrasound is a vital tool for detecting breast cancer, and computer-assisted diagnosis software, developed based on deep learning, can effectively assist radiologists in diagnosis. However, the network model is prone to overfitting during training, owing to challenges such as insufficient training data. This study attempts to solve the problem caused by small datasets and improve model detection performance. MethodsWe propose a breast cancer detection framework based on deep learning (a transfer learning method based on cross-organ cancer detection) and a contrastive learning method based on breast imaging reporting and data systems (BI-RADS). ResultsWhen using cross organ transfer learning and BIRADS based contrastive learning, the average sensitivity of the model increased by a maximum of 16.05%. ConclusionOur experiments have demonstrated that the parameters and experiences of cross-organ cancer detection can be mutually referenced, and contrastive learning method based on BI-RADS can improve the detection performance of the model.

RegFSC-Net: Medical Image Registration via Fourier Transform With Spatial Reorganization and Channel Refinement Network.

Medical image registration is crucial in medical image analysis applications. Recently, U-Net-style networks have been commonly used for unsupervised image registration, predicting dense displacement fields in full-resolution space. However, this process is resource-intensive and time-consuming for high-resolution volumetric image data. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a novel model named RegFSC-Net, which utilizes Fourier transform with spatial reorganization (SR) and channel refinement (CR) network for registration. We embed efficient feature extraction modules SR and CR modules into the encoder, and adopt a parameter-free model to drive the decoder to improve the U-shaped network. Precisely, RegFSC-Net does not directly predict the full-resolution displacement field in space but learns the low-dimensional representation of the displacement field in the bandlimited Fourier domain, which is beneficial in reducing network parameters, memory usage, and computational costs. Experimental results show that RegFSC-Net outperforms various state-of-the-art methods. Specifically, in comparison to the widely recognized Transformer-based method TransMorph, RegFSC-Net utilizes only around 8.2% of its parameters, resulting in a 1.95% higher Dice score and significantly faster inference speeds of 126.67% and 419.99% on GPU and CPU, respectively. Furthermore, we also designed three variants of RegFSC-Net and demonstrated their potential applications in computer-aided diagnosis.

A review of deep learning and Generative Adversarial Networks applications in medical image analysis

Nowadays, computer-aided decision support systems (CADs) for the analysis of images have been a perennial technique in the medical imaging field. In CADs, deep learning algorithms are widely used to perform tasks like classification, identification of patterns, detection, etc. Deep learning models learn feature representations from images rather than handcrafted features. Hence, deep learning models are quickly becoming the state-of-the-art method to achieve good performances in different computer-aided decision-support systems in medical applications. Similarly, deep learning-based generative models called Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have recently been developed as a novel method to produce realistic-looking synthetic data. GANs are used in different domains, including medical imaging generation. The common problems, like class imbalance and a small dataset, in healthcare are well addressed by GANs, and it is a leading area of research. Segmentation, reconstruction, detection, denoising, registration, etc. are the important applications of GANs. So in this work, the successes of deep learning methods in segmentation, classification, cell structure and fracture detection, computer-aided identification, and GANs in synthetic medical image generation, segmentation, reconstruction, detection, denoising, and registration in recent times are reviewed. Lately, the review article concludes by raising research directions for DL models and GANs in medical applications.

Open-source graphical user interface for the creation of synthetic skeletons for medical image analysis

Open-source graphical user interface for the creation of synthetic skeletons for medical image analysis

Cross and local optimal avoidance of RIME algorithm: A segmentation study for COVID-19 X-ray images

Image segmentation is a crucial technique in analyzing X-ray medical images as it aids in uncovering relevant information concealed within a patient's body, a pivotal aspect of the diagnostic process. The effectiveness of computer-aided diagnosis systems largely depends on the accuracy of the image processing methods. In recent years, multi-threshold image segmentation methods have found widespread application in medical image analysis. Despite the effectiveness of some renowned methods for binary threshold segmentation, the field still faces challenges due to the high cost of threshold computation. Metaheuristic algorithms hold the potential to address this issue as they can produce sufficiently reasonable solutions with manageable computational overheads. While some similar methods have been proposed, the imbalance between exploration and exploitation results in instability as the number of thresholds increases. Consequently, these solutions suffer from reduced efficiency in computing thresholds. In this study, a variant of the latest RIME algorithm, termed SLCRIME, is proposed. This paper replaces the pseudo-random method with low-discrepancy Sobol sequences for solution initialization. Additionally, two methods aimed at avoiding local optima and promoting information exchange within the solution set are introduced, further enhancing its capability to search for optimal threshold sets for IS systems. Subsequently, a multi-threshold image segmentation model based on SLCRIME is proposed and applied to segment 6 COVID-19 X-ray images. In the experiments, SLCRIME is compared with 6 peer algorithms, and the results are evaluated using image segmentation accuracy, feature similarity index metrics (FSIM), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and structural similarity index metrics (SSIM). The analysis indicates that SLCRIME achieves optimal thresholds at reasonable computational costs and outperforms other algorithms in terms of performance.

Cancerous and Non-Cancerous MRI Classification Using Dual DCNN Approach.

Brain cancer is a life-threatening disease requiring close attention. Early and accurate diagnosis using non-invasive medical imaging is critical for successful treatment and patient survival. However, manual diagnosis by radiologist experts is time-consuming and has limitations in processing large datasets efficiently. Therefore, efficient systems capable of analyzing vast amounts of medical data for early tumor detection are urgently needed. Deep learning (DL) with deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) emerges as a promising tool for understanding diseases like brain cancer through medical imaging modalities, especially MRI, which provides detailed soft tissue contrast for visualizing tumors and organs. DL techniques have become more and more popular in current research on brain tumor detection. Unlike traditional machine learning methods requiring manual feature extraction, DL models are adept at handling complex data like MRIs and excel in classification tasks, making them well-suited for medical image analysis applications. This study presents a novel Dual DCNN model that can accurately classify cancerous and non-cancerous MRI samples. Our Dual DCNN model uses two well-performed DL models, i.e., inceptionV3 and denseNet121. Features are extracted from these models by appending a global max pooling layer. The extracted features are then utilized to train the model with the addition of five fully connected layers and finally accurately classify MRI samples as cancerous or non-cancerous. The fully connected layers are retrained to learn the extracted features for better accuracy. The technique achieves 99%, 99%, 98%, and 99% of accuracy, precision, recall, and f1-scores, respectively. Furthermore, this study compares the Dual DCNN's performance against various well-known DL models, including DenseNet121, InceptionV3, ResNet architectures, EfficientNetB2, SqueezeNet, VGG16, AlexNet, and LeNet-5, with different learning rates. This study indicates that our proposed approach outperforms these established models in terms of performance.

Deep Learning in Medical Image Analysis Article Review

Transfer learning, in evaluation to common deep studying strategies which include convolutional neural networks (CNNs), stands proud due to its simplicity, efficiency, and coffee education value, efficaciously addressing the venture of restricted datasets. The importance of scientific picture analysis in both scientific research and medical prognosis can't be overstated, with image techniques like Computer Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI), Ultrasound (US), and X-Ray playing a crucial function. Despite their utility in non-invasive analysis, the scarcity of categorized medical images poses a completely unique challenge in comparison to datasets in other pc imaginative and prescient domains, like facial reputation.
 Given this shortage, switch getting to know has won reputation amongst researchers for medical photo processing. This complete evaluation draws on one hundred amazing papers from IEEE, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and diverse sources spanning 2000 to 2023 It covers vital components, which includes the (i) shape of CNNs, (ii) foundational know-how of switch learning, (iii) numerous techniques for enforcing transfer mastering, (iv) the utility of switch gaining knowledge of throughout numerous sub-fields of medical photo analysis, and (v) a dialogue at the future potentialities of transfer studying within the realm of medical image analysis. This evaluate no longer handiest equips beginners with a scientific understanding of transfer mastering applications in medical image analysis but additionally serves policymakers by means of summarizing the evolving trends in transfer learning within the scientific image domain. This insight might also encourage policymakers to formulate advantageous rules that support the continued development of Transfer learning knowledge of in medical image analysis.

Independently Trained Multi-Scale Registration Network Based on Image Pyramid.

Image registration is a fundamental task in various applications of medical image analysis and plays a crucial role in auxiliary diagnosis, treatment, and surgical navigation. However, cardiac image registration is challenging due to the large non-rigid deformation of the heart and the complex anatomical structure. To address this challenge, this paper proposes an independently trained multi-scale registration network based on an image pyramid. By down-sampling the original input image multiple times, we can construct image pyramid pairs, and design a multi-scale registration network using image pyramid pairs of different resolutions as the training set. Using image pairs of different resolutions, train each registration network independently to extract image features from the image pairs at different resolutions. During the testing stage, the large deformation registration is decomposed into a multi-scale registration process. The deformation fields of different resolutions are fused by a step-by-step deformation method, thereby addressing the challenge of directly handling large deformations. Experiments were conducted on the open cardiac dataset ACDC (Automated Cardiac Diagnosis Challenge); the proposed method achieved an average Dice score of 0.828 in the experimental results. Through comparative experiments, it has been demonstrated that the proposed method effectively addressed the challenge of heart image registration and achieved superior registration results for cardiac images.

Deep Learning-Based Medical Image Registration Algorithm: Enhancing Accuracy with Dense Connections and Channel Attention Mechanisms

In critical clinical medical image analysis applications, such as surgical navigation and tumor monitoring, image registration is crucial. Recognizing the potential for enhanced accuracy in existing unsupervised image registration techniques for single-modal imagery, this research introduces an innovative deep learning-based image registration algorithm. Its novelty resides in integrating short and long connections to create a densely connected structure, markedly refining the feature map interconnectivity within the U-Net architecture. This advancement addresses the significant semantic gap issues arising from disparities in feature map sampling depths. Moreover, the algorithm incorporates a channel attention mechanism within the U-shaped network's decoder, significantly mitigating image noise and facilitating the generation of smoother deformation fields. This enhancement not only boosts the model's detail sensitivity but also markedly increases image registration precision, particularly evident when processing single-modal brain MRI datasets, thereby proving the algorithm's efficacy and utility. Extensive clinical application-based training and testing have underscored this algorithm's substantial contributions to medical image registration accuracy enhancement. Overall, by leveraging deep learning technologies and innovative algorithmic structures, this study addresses pivotal challenges in medical image registration, offering more precise and dependable support for clinical applications like surgical navigation and tumor surveillance.

Application of deep-learning based computer vision in medical image analysis

The analyzing process of medical image has always been a crucial part for disease detection, diagnosis, surgery assisting and drug delivery. With the outbreak of population worldwide and the constant emergence of all types of complicated diseases, doctors nowadays are facing tremendous workloads and having difficulty in making precise diagnoses or performing more assured operations. Many experts have been striving to develop a wide range of techniques based on deep learning to ease doctors burden and improve patients recovery process or survival chances. This general review paper will mainly focus on providing readers with a brief understanding and knowledge about deep-learning based computer vision applied in modern medical image analysis. Several academic journals or books related to computer vision applications in medical image analysis were selected for review. Despite the advantages and convenience of this technique, this review finds out that potential obstacles still exist and can be overcome or amended in the future.

Structure-aware independently trained multi-scale registration network for cardiac images.

Image registration is a primary task in various medical image analysis applications. However, cardiac image registration is difficult due to the large non-rigid deformation of the heart and the complex anatomical structure. This paper proposes a structure-aware independently trained multi-scale registration network (SIMReg) to address this challenge. Using image pairs of different resolutions, independently train each registration network to extract image features of large deformation image pairs at different resolutions. In the testing stage, the large deformation registration is decomposed into a multi-scale registration process, and the deformation fields of different resolutions are fused by a step-by-step deformation method, thus solving the difficulty of directly processing large deformation. Meanwhile, the targeted introduction of MIND (modality independent neighborhood descriptor) structural features to guide network training enhances the registration of cardiac structural contours and improves the registration effect of local details. Experiments were carried out on the open cardiac dataset ACDC (automated cardiac diagnosis challenge), and the average Dice value of the experimental results of the proposed method was 0.833. Comparative experiments showed that the proposed SIMReg could better solve the problem of heart image registration and achieve a better registration effect on cardiac images.

Identification method of thyroid nodule ultrasonography based on self-supervised learning dual-branch attention learning framework.

Thyroid ultrasound is a widely used diagnostic technique for thyroid nodules in clinical practice. However, due to the characteristics of ultrasonic imaging, such as low image contrast, high noise levels, and heterogeneous features, detecting and identifying nodules remains challenging. In addition, high-quality labeled medical imaging datasets are rare, and thyroid ultrasound images are no exception, posing a significant challenge for machine learning applications in medical image analysis. In this study, we propose a Dual-branch Attention Learning (DBAL) convolutional neural network framework to enhance thyroid nodule detection by capturing contextual information. Leveraging jigsaw puzzles as a pretext task during network training, we improve the network's generalization ability with limited data. Our framework effectively captures intrinsic features in a global-to-local manner. Experimental results involve self-supervised pre-training on unlabeled ultrasound images and fine-tuning using 1216 clinical ultrasound images from a collaborating hospital. DBAL achieves accurate discrimination of thyroid nodules, with a 88.5% correct diagnosis rate for malignant and benign nodules and a 93.7% area under the ROC curve. This novel approach demonstrates promising potential in clinical applications for its accuracy and efficiency.

DeepPyramid+: medical image segmentation using Pyramid View Fusion and Deformable Pyramid Reception

PurposeSemantic segmentation plays a pivotal role in many applications related to medical image and video analysis. However, designing a neural network architecture for medical image and surgical video segmentation is challenging due to the diverse features of relevant classes, including heterogeneity, deformability, transparency, blunt boundaries, and various distortions. We propose a network architecture, DeepPyramid+, which addresses diverse challenges encountered in medical image and surgical video segmentation.MethodsThe proposed DeepPyramid+ incorporates two major modules, namely “Pyramid View Fusion” (PVF) and “Deformable Pyramid Reception” (DPR), to address the outlined challenges. PVF replicates a deduction process within the neural network, aligning with the human visual system, thereby enhancing the representation of relative information at each pixel position. Complementarily, DPR introduces shape- and scale-adaptive feature extraction techniques using dilated deformable convolutions, enhancing accuracy and robustness in handling heterogeneous classes and deformable shapes.ResultsExtensive experiments conducted on diverse datasets, including endometriosis videos, MRI images, OCT scans, and cataract and laparoscopy videos, demonstrate the effectiveness of DeepPyramid+ in handling various challenges such as shape and scale variation, reflection, and blur degradation. DeepPyramid+ demonstrates significant improvements in segmentation performance, achieving up to a 3.65% increase in Dice coefficient for intra-domain segmentation and up to a 17% increase in Dice coefficient for cross-domain segmentation.ConclusionsDeepPyramid+ consistently outperforms state-of-the-art networks across diverse modalities considering different backbone networks, showcasing its versatility. Accordingly, DeepPyramid+ emerges as a robust and effective solution, successfully overcoming the intricate challenges associated with relevant content segmentation in medical images and surgical videos. Its consistent performance and adaptability indicate its potential to enhance precision in computerized medical image and surgical video analysis applications.

Accurate COVID-19 detection using full blood count data and machine learning

COVID-19 has spread rapidly worldwide in the past three years, triggering partial and full lockdowns globally. The successful control of the COVID-19 pandemic on a global scale depended heavily upon the accurate detection of COVID-19. However, the main diagnostic tests for COVID-19 have some significant limitations, e.g. the major nucleic acid (RT-PCR) tests while having a high sensitivity are time-consuming and require expensive equipment with the shortage of test kits in many countries. Antigen lateral flow tests have a lower sensitivity and they cannot be used during the early pandemic as well as usually more expensive than the full or complete blood count test used in this paper which can be potentially performed using a finger blood sample. The last decade has seen rapid growth of AI, particularly deep learning, which has found wide applications in medical image analysis, with results comparable to and even surpassing human expert performance. There have been several machine learning models reported for COVID-19 diagnostics or prognosis predictions, most of them based on CT and X-ray images. In this paper we have applied traditional machine learning and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) based deep learning to the blood test data obtained from hematology analyzers and demonstrated that the AI models can be used to detect COVID-19 with a high degree of accuracy (>97%). The performance of different classifiers will be compared and discussed. The work should have potential applications in current COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Anatomical Landmark Detection in 3d MRI Scan using Deep Neuro-Dynamic Programming

Automatic and precise biometric measures are crucial for diagnosis and supporting important decisions in medical imaging. For several applications of medical image analysis, automatically identifying anatomical landmarks is an important step. In this study, we determine the effectiveness of deep-neurodynamic programming methods for developing agents that can consistently and accurately recognize ground truth landmarks in medical imaging. Through interaction with an environment of three-dimensional (3D) scan ultrasound images, a simulated reinforcement learning (RL) agent learns to identify the optimum path leading to the landmark. Deep Q-Network (DQN) algorithm is applied to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of the human brain. The model’s effectiveness and localization error are measured in terms of the mean Euclidean distance between the detected and ground truth landmarks’ position. We achieved a low localization error of 3.55mm during our experiments with the ADNI dataset.

A Comprehensive Survey of Machine Learning Applications in Medical Image Analysis for Artificial Vision

This study presents a thorough survey of the applications of machine learning in medical image analysis for artificial vision,aiming to offer a comprehensive understanding of the evolving intersection between machine learning and medical imaging.With the rapid advancement of artificial vision technologies, the integration of machine learning algorithms has becomepivotal in revolutionizing medical image analysis. The survey explores a diverse range of machine learning applicationswithin the medical imaging domain, encompassing techniques such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), support vectormachines, and decision trees. The focus lies in elucidating the role of machine learning in enhancing the accuracy, efficiency,and diagnostic capabilities of medical image analysis systems. Key topics addressed in the survey include image segmentation, classification, and detection, with a specific emphasis on applications in radiology, pathology, and ophthalmology. Additionally, the survey discusses challenges and opportunities in the integration of machine learning into medical image analysis, providing insights into current trends and future directions. This comprehensive survey serves as a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and healthcare professionals seeking an in-depth overview of the diverse applications and evolving landscape of machine learning in medical image analysis for artificial vision.