Skip to main content
Log in

Evaluation of a Content-Based Retrieval System for Blood Cell Images with Automated Methods

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Medical Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Content-based image retrieval techniques have been extensively studied for the past few years. With the growth of digital medical image databases, the demand for content-based analysis and retrieval tools has been increasing remarkably. Blood cell image is a key diagnostic tool for hematologists. An automated system that can retrieved relevant blood cell images correctly and efficiently would save the effort and time of hematologists. The purpose of this work is to develop such a content-based image retrieval system. Global color histogram and wavelet-based methods are used in the prototype. The system allows users to search by providing a query image and select one of four implemented methods. The obtained results demonstrate the proposed extended query refinement has the potential to capture a user’s high level query and perception subjectivity by dynamically giving better query combinations. Color-based methods performed better than wavelet-based methods with regard to precision, recall rate and retrieval time. Shape and density of blood cells are suggested as measurements for future improvement. The system developed is useful for undergraduate education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Glatard, T., Montagnat, J., and Magnin, I. E., Texture based medical image indexing and retrieval: application to cardiac imaging. In: Multimedia Information Retrieval. pp. 135–142, 2004.

  2. Ion, A., and Stanescu, L., MIR—a tool for medical image retrieval. In: Computer as a tool. Serbia & Montenegro: Proceedings in IEEE Computer Society Press, 2005.

  3. Chuping, L., Image indexing in the Embedded Wavelet Domain. In: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. University of Alberta, p. 141, 2002.

  4. Irfan, A., Sumari, P., and Kamarulhaili, H., Automated content based image retrieval using wavelets. In: International Conference on Computational Intelligence. Istanbul, Turkey, pp. 290–293, 2004.

  5. Pawar, V., and Mushrif, M., Texture features for image retrieval using wavelet transform. In: International Conference on Cognition and Recognition. USA, pp. 135–142, 2005.

  6. Marques, O., and Furht, B., Content-based visual information retrieval. In: Shih, T. K. (Ed.), Distributed Multimedia Databases: Techniques & Applications. Idea Group, Hershey, pp. 21–25, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Wei, C. H., Li, C. T., and Wilson, R., A content-based approach to medical image database retrieval. In: Ma, Z. (Ed.), Database Modeling for Industrial Data Management: Emerging Technologies and Applications. Idea Group, Hershey, pp. 258–291, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Sheikh, H., Zhu, B., and Tezanakou, M. E., Blood cell identification using neural networks. In: Bioengineering Conference. IEEE Twenty-Second Annual Northeast, pp. 119–120, 1996.

  9. Siddique, S., A wavelet based technique for analysis and classification of texture images. Carleton University, Ottawa, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Umbaugh, S. E., Computer vision and image processing: a practical approach using CVIPtools. Vol. 2. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, p. 528, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Niblack, W., Barber, R., Equitz, W., Flickner, M. D., Glasman, E. H., Petkovic, D., Yanker, P., Faloutsos, C., and Taubin, G., QBIC project: querying images by content, using color, texture, and shape. In: Storage and Retrieval for Image and Video Databases. San Jose, pp. 173–187, 1993.

  12. Pentland, A., Picard, R. W., and Sclaroff, S., Photobook: content-based manipulation of image databases. In: Furht, B. (Ed.), Multimedia Tools and Applications. Kluwer Academic, Boston, pp. 233–254, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Bach, J. R., Fuller, C., Gupta, A., Hampapur, A., Horowitz, B., Humphrey, R., Jain, R., and Shu, C., The virage image search engine: An open framework for image management. In: SPIE Conference on Storage and Retrieval for Image and Video Databases. San Diego, USA, 1996.

  14. Sclaroff, S., Taycher, T., and Cascia, M. L., Image rover: a content-based image browser for the World Wide Web. In: IEEE Workshop on Content-based Access of Image and Video Libraries. Puerto Rico: IEEE, pp. 258–291, 1997.

  15. Carson, C., Belongie, S., Greenspan, H., and Malik, J., Blobworld: image segmentation using expectation-maximization and its application to image querying. In: Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence. pp. 1026–1038, 2002.

  16. Comaniciu, D., Meer, P., Foran, D., and Medl, A., Bimodal system for interactive indexing and retrieval of pathology images. In: The 4th IEEE Workshop on Applications of Computer Vision (WACV). New Jersey: IEEE Computer Society. pp. 76–81, 1998.

  17. Mayumi, D., Sabino, U., Costa, L. D. F., Rizzatti, E. G., and Zago, M. A., A texture approach to leukocyte recognition. J. Real-Time Imaging. 10 (4)205–216, 2004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Sikorsi, J. Identification of Malignant Melanoma by Wavelet Analysis. Series Identification of Malignant Melanoma by Wavelet Analysis 2004 [cited 12 April 2009]. Available from: http://csis.pace.edu/∼ctappert/srd2004/paper10.pdf.

  19. Wang, Z. J., Fast image (Information) retrieval (IR) using wavelet coding. 2006.

  20. Hiremath, P. S., Shivashankar, S., and Pujari, J., Wavelet based features for color texture classification with application to CBIR. Int. J. Comput. Sci. Netw. Secur. 6 (9)10, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Marchiori, A., Broodly, B., Broderick, L., Dy, J., Pavlopoulou, C., Kak, A. C., and Aisen, A., CBIR for medical images—an evaluation trial. In: IEEE Workshop on Content-Based Access of Image and Video Databases. Bombai, India, 1998.

  22. Jeong, S., Histogram Based Image Retrieval,. Series Histogram Based Image Retrieval, [cited 10 April 2007]; Available from: http://scien.stanford.edu/class/psych221/projects/02/sojeong/Last. 2001.

  23. Swain, M. J., and Ballard, D. H., Color indexing. Int. J. Comput. Vis. 7 (1)22, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Zhao, R., and Grosky, W. I., Bridging the semantic gap in image retrieval. In: Shih T. K. (Ed.), Distributed Multimedia Databases: Techniques & Applications. Idea Group, Hershey, pp. 14–36, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Jizba, R., Measuring Search Effectiveness. Series measuring search effectiveness [cited 10 January 2008]; Available from: http://www.hsl.creighton.edu/hsl/Searching/Recall-Precision.html. 2000.

Download references

Acknowledgment

We would like thanks Mr. Tan Jin Ann For implementing the prototype in a user friendly way. We would also like to express our appreciation to Ms. Mangalam Sankupellay and Hospital Kuala Lumpur for the initial idea and producing blood cell images.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seyed Hadi Mirisaee.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM Appendix 1

(PDF 642 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Seng, W.C., Mirisaee, S.H. Evaluation of a Content-Based Retrieval System for Blood Cell Images with Automated Methods. J Med Syst 35, 571–578 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-009-9393-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-009-9393-3

Keywords

Navigation