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A Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Measuring Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness (IMT) Using Quaternion Vectors

  • Transactional Processing Systems
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Abstract

This study aims investigating adjustable distant fuzzy c-means segmentation on carotid Doppler images, as well as quaternion-based convolution filters and saliency mapping procedures. We developed imaging software that will simplify the measurement of carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) on saliency mapping images. Additionally, specialists evaluated the present images and compared them with saliency mapping images. In the present research, we conducted imaging studies of 25 carotid Doppler images obtained by the Department of Cardiology at Fırat University. After implementing fuzzy c-means segmentation and quaternion-based convolution on all Doppler images, we obtained a model that can be analyzed easily by the doctors using a bottom-up saliency model. These methods were applied to 25 carotid Doppler images and then interpreted by specialists. In the present study, we used color-filtering methods to obtain carotid color images. Saliency mapping was performed on the obtained images, and the carotid artery IMT was detected and interpreted on the obtained images from both methods and the raw images are shown in Results. Also these results were investigated by using Mean Square Error (MSE) for the raw IMT images and the method which gives the best performance is the Quaternion Based Saliency Mapping (QBSM). 0,0014 and 0,000191 mm2 MSEs were obtained for artery lumen diameters and plaque diameters in carotid arteries respectively. We found that computer-based image processing methods used on carotid Doppler could aid doctors’ in their decision-making process. We developed software that could ease the process of measuring carotid IMT for cardiologists and help them to evaluate their findings.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partially performed at Fırat University, Faculty of Medicine, and the computer-based study was performed at Gazi University, Engineering Faculty, Electrical & Electronics Engineering Department. In addition, the algorithms performed were obtained from the Ph.D. thesis of Uğurhan KUTBAY, which was supervised by Fırat HARDALAÇ.

Authors’ contributions

Selami SERHATLIOĞLU performed the US Doppler studies in the hospital, discussed & reported the US Doppler Images, participated in the sequence alignment and drafted the manuscript with Ünsal AKASLAN. Mehmet AKBULUT performed the Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA), and evaluated the computer-aided results at the hospital. Fırat HARDALAÇ created the study hypothesis with Uğurhan KUTBAY and helped to draft the manuscript. Uğurhan KUTBAY participated in the alignment sequence and evaluated the algorithms. ll authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Faculty, Electrical & Electronics Engineering Department, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey

    Uğurhan Kutbay & Fırat Hardalaç

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkey

    Mehmet Akbulut

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiodiagnostic, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkey

    Ünsal Akaslan & Selami Serhatlıoğlu

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  1. Uğurhan Kutbay
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Correspondence to Fırat Hardalaç.

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Kutbay, U., Hardalaç, F., Akbulut, M. et al. A Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Measuring Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness (IMT) Using Quaternion Vectors. J Med Syst 40, 149 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-016-0507-4

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