In vivo quantitative assessment of skin lesions is an important step in the evaluation of skin condition. An objective measurement device can help as a valuable tool for skin analysis. We propose an explorative new multispectral camera specifically developed for dermatology/cosmetology applications. The multispectral imaging system provides images of skin reflectance at different wavebands covering visible and near-infrared domain. It is coupled with a neural network-based algorithm for the reconstruction of reflectance cube of cutaneous data. This cube contains only skin optical reflectance spectrum in each pixel of the bidimensional spatial information. The reflectance cube is analyzed by an algorithm based on a Kubelka-Munk model combined with evolutionary algorithm. The technique allows quantitative measure of cutaneous tissue and retrieves five skin parameter maps: melanin concentration, epidermis/dermis thickness, haemoglobin concentration, and the oxygenated hemoglobin. The results retrieved on healthy participants by the algorithm are in good accordance with the data from the literature. The usefulness of the developed technique was proved during two experiments: a clinical study based on vitiligo and melasma skin lesions and a skin oxygenation experiment (induced ischemia) with healthy participant where normal tissues are recorded at normal state and when temporary ischemia is induced.
We present a new approach to optically calibrate a multispectral imaging system based on interference filters. Such a system typically suffers from some blurring of its channel images. Because the effectiveness of spectrum reconstruction depends heavily on the quality of the acquired channel images, and because this blurring negatively affects them, a method for deblurring and denoising them is required. The blur is modeled as a uniform intensity distribution within a circular disk. It allows us to characterize, quantitatively, the degradation for each channel image. In terms of global reduction of the blur, it consists of the choice of the best channel for the focus adjustment according to minimal corrections applied to the other channels. Then, for a given acquisition, the restoration can be performed with the computed parameters using adapted Wiener filtering. This process of optical calibration is evaluated on real images and shows large improvements, especially when the scene is detailed.
28 June 2021 in IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics
Otosclerosis is a common disease of the middle ear leading to stapedial fixation. Its rapid and non-invasive diagnosis could be achieved through wideband tympanometry (WBT), but the interpretation of the raw data provided by this tool is complex and time-consuming. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) could potentially be applied to this situation to help the clinicians categorize WBT data. A dataset containing 135 samples from 80 patients with otosclerosis and 55 controls was obtained. We designed a lightweight CNN to categorize samples into the otosclerosis and control. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of $0.95 \pm 0.011$, and the F1-score was $0.89 \pm 0.031$ ($r=10$). The performance was further improved by data augmentation schemes and transfer learning strategies (AUC: $0.97 \pm 0.010$, F1-score: $0.94 \pm 0.016$, $p< 0.05$, ANOVA). Finally, the most relevant diagnostic features employed by the CNN were assessed via the activation pattern heatmaps. These results are crucial for the visual interpretation of WBT graphic outputs which clinicians use in routine, and for a better understanding of the WBT signal in relation to the ossicular mechanics.
We present a method for calibrating a range finder system composed of a camera and a structured light source. The system is used to reconstruct the three-dimensional (3-D) surface of an object. This is achieved by projecting a pattern, represented by a set of regularly spaced spots, on the surface of the object using the structured light source. An image of the illuminated object is next taken and by analyzing the distortion of the projected pattern, the 3-D surface of the object can be reconstructed. This reconstruction operation can be envisaged only if the system is calibrated. Instead of using a classical calibration method, which is based on the determination of the matrices that characterize the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the system, we propose a fast and easy to set up methodology, consisting of taking a sequence of images of a plane in translation on which a set of regularly spaced spots is projected using the structured light projection system. Next, a relationship between the position of the plane and the coordinates of the spots in the image is established. Using this relationship, we are able to determine the 3-D coordinates of a set of points on the object's surface knowing the 2-D coordinates of the spots in the image of the object taken by the range finder system. Finally, from the 3-D coordinates of the set of points, the 3-D surface of the object is reconstructed.
We present a technique for the multi-sensor registration of featureless datasets based on the photogrammetric tracking of the acquisition systems in use. This method is developed for the in situ study of cultural heritage objects and is tested by digitizing a small canvas successively with a 3D digitization system and a multispectral camera while simultaneously tracking the acquisition systems with four cameras and using a cubic target frame with a side length of 500 mm. The achieved tracking accuracy is better than 0.03 mm spatially and 0.150 mrad angularly. This allows us to seamlessly register the 3D acquisitions and to project the multispectral acquisitions on the 3D model.