To introduce deep learning-based feature extraction method which adaptively learns the most significant features for the given task using deep structure to classify six kinds of regional patterns in diffuse lung disease.
METHOD AND MATERIALSHRCT images were selected from images of 106 patients having diffuse lung disease from a Siemens CT scanner (Sensation 16, Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) and 212 patients from a GE CT scanner (Lightspeed 16, GE, Milwaukee, WI, USA). Two experienced radiologists marked sets of 600 rectangular regions of interest (ROIs) with 20×20 pixels on HRCT images obtained from GE and Siemens scanners, respectively. These were consisted of a hundred of ROIs for each of six local patterns including normal, consolidation, emphysema, ground-glass opacity, honeycombing, and reticular opacity (Fig. 1(a)). Performance of convolution neural network (CNN) classifier having a deep architecture (Fig. 1(b)) was compared with that of support vector machine (SVM) having a shallow architecture. In the SVM classifier, 22 features including histogram, gradient, run-length, gray level co-occurrence matrix, low-attenuation area cluster, and top-hat transform were extracted. In the CNN classifier, a hundred features in the last layer (FC #1), however, were extracted automatically with deep learning classifier manner. All experiments were performed based on forward feature selection and five fold cross-validation with 20 repetitions.
RESULTSThe accuracies of the SVM classifier were achieved 92.34 ± 2.26 % at 600 ROI images acquired in a single scanner (GE) and 91.18 ± 1.91 % at 1200 ROI images of the integrated data set (GE and Siemens). The accuracies of the CNN classifier showed a higher performance of 93.72 ± 1.95 % and 94.47 ± 1.19 % in a single and the integrated HRCT, respectively (Fig. 1(c)).
CONCLUSIONThe SVM accuracy in the integrated data showed not inferior to that in a single vender data, due to the effect of different scanners. In the CNN classifier, however, the CNN performance in the integrated data might be better, due to more robustness to image noise and higher performance in larger data set. In addition, the CNN shows higher performance than the SVM in both of data types.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE/APPLICATIONDeep learning based automated quantification system of regional disease patterns at HRCT of interstitial lung diseases can be more useful in the diagnosis, severity assessment, and monitoring of treatment effects.