Development of a deep neural network for generating synthetic dual-energy chest x-ray images with single x-ray exposure

Raw data consistent deep learning-based field of view extension for dual-source dual-energy CT

BACKGROUND

Due to technical constraints, dual-source dual-energy CT scans may lack spectral information in the periphery of the patient.

PURPOSE

Here, we propose a deep learning-based iterative reconstruction to recover the missing spectral information outside the field of measurement (FOM) of the second source-detector pair.

METHODS

In today's Siemens dual-source CT systems, one source-detector pair (referred to as A) typically has a FOM of about 50 cm, while the FOM of the other pair (referred to as B) is limited by technical constraints to a diameter of about 35 cm. As a result, dual-energy applications are currently only available within the small FOM, limiting their use for larger patients. To derive a reconstruction at B's energy for the entire patient cross-section, we propose a deep learning-based iterative reconstruction. Starting with A's reconstruction as initial estimate, it employs a neural network in each iteration to refine the current estimate according to a raw data fidelity measure. Here, the corresponding mapping is trained using simulated chest, abdomen, and pelvis scans based on a data set containing 70 full body CT scans. Finally, the proposed approach is tested on simulated and measured dual-source dual-energy scans and compared against existing reference approaches.

RESULTS

For all test cases, the proposed approach was able to provide artifact-free CT reconstructions of B for the entire patient cross-section. Considering simulated data, the remaining error of the reconstructions is between 10 and 17 HU on average, which is about half as low as the reference approaches. A similar performance with an average error of 8 HU could be achieved for real phantom measurements.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed approach is able to recover missing dual-energy information for patients exceeding the small 35 cm FOM of dual-source CT systems. Therefore, it potentially allows to extend dual-energy applications to the entire-patient cross section.

Bone suppression of lateral chest x-rays with imperfect and limited dual-energy subtraction images

Bone suppression is to suppress the superimposed bone components over the soft tissues within the lung area of Chest X-ray (CXR), which is potentially useful for the subsequent lung disease diagnosis for radiologists, as well as computer-aided systems. Despite bone suppression methods for frontal CXRs being well studied, it remains challenging for lateral CXRs due to the limited and imperfect DES dataset containing paired lateral CXR and soft-tissue/bone images and more complex anatomical structures in the lateral view. In this work, we propose a bone suppression method for lateral CXRs by leveraging a two-stage distillation learning strategy and a specific data correction method. Specifically, a primary model is first trained on a real DES dataset with limited samples. The bone-suppressed results on a relatively large lateral CXR dataset produced by the primary model are improved by a designed gradient correction method. Secondly, the corrected results serve as training samples to train the distillated model. By automatically learning knowledge from both the primary model and the extra correction procedure, our distillated model is expected to promote the performance of the primary model while omitting the tedious correction procedure. We adopt an ensemble model named MsDd-MAP for the primary and distillated models, which learns the complementary information of Multi-scale and Dual-domain (i.e., intensity and gradient) and fuses them in a maximum-a-posteriori (MAP) framework. Our method is evaluated on a two-exposure lateral DES dataset consisting of 46 subjects and a lateral CXR dataset consisting of 240 subjects. The experimental results suggest that our method is superior to other competing methods regarding the quantitative evaluation metrics. Furthermore, the subjective evaluation by three experienced radiologists also indicates that the distillated model can produce more visually appealing soft-tissue images than the primary model, even comparable to real DES imaging for lateral CXRs.

Development and Validation of a Deep Learning-Based Synthetic Bone-Suppressed Model for Pulmonary Nodule Detection in Chest Radiographs

Importance

Dual-energy chest radiography exhibits better sensitivity than single-energy chest radiography, partly due to its ability to remove overlying anatomical structures.

Objectives

To develop and validate a deep learning-based synthetic bone-suppressed (DLBS) nodule-detection algorithm for pulmonary nodule detection on chest radiographs.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This decision analytical modeling study used data from 3 centers between November 2015 and July 2019 from 1449 patients. The DLBS nodule-detection algorithm was trained using single-center data (institute 1) of 998 chest radiographs. The DLBS algorithm was validated using 2 external data sets (institute 2, 246 patients; and institute 3, 205 patients). Statistical analysis was performed from March to December 2021.

Exposures

DLBS nodule-detection algorithm.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The nodule-detection performance of DLBS model was compared with the convolution neural network nodule-detection algorithm (original model). Reader performance testing was conducted by 3 thoracic radiologists assisted by the DLBS algorithm or not. Sensitivity and false-positive markings per image (FPPI) were compared.

Results

Training data consisted of 998 patients (539 men [54.0%]; mean [SD] age, 54.2 [9.82] years), and 2 external validation data sets consisted of 246 patients (133 men [54.1%]; mean [SD] age, 55.3 [8.7] years) and 205 patients (105 men [51.2%]; mean [SD] age, 51.8 [9.1] years). Using the external validation data set of institute 2, the bone-suppressed model showed higher sensitivity compared with that of the original model for nodule detection (91.5% [109 of 119] vs 79.8% [95 of 119]; P < .001). The overall mean of FPPI with the bone-suppressed model was reduced compared with the original model (0.07 [17 of 246] vs 0.09 [23 of 246]; P < .001). For the observer performance testing with the data of institute 3, the mean sensitivity of 3 radiologists was 77.5% (95% [CI], 69.9%-85.2%), whereas that of radiologists assisted by DLBS modeling was 92.1% (95% CI, 86.3%-97.3%; P < .001). The 3 radiologists had a reduced number of FPPI when assisted by the DLBS model (0.071 [95% CI, 0.041-0.111] vs 0.151 [95% CI, 0.111-0.210]; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

This decision analytical modeling study found that the DLBS model was more sensitive to detecting pulmonary nodules on chest radiographs compared with the original model. These findings suggest that the DLBS model could be beneficial to radiologists in the detection of lung nodules in chest radiographs without need of the specialized equipment or increase of radiation dose.

Machine Learning and Deep Learning in Cardiothoracic Imaging: A Scoping Review

Machine-learning (ML) and deep-learning (DL) algorithms are part of a group of modeling algorithms that grasp the hidden patterns in data based on a training process, enabling them to extract complex information from the input data. In the past decade, these algorithms have been increasingly used for image processing, specifically in the medical domain. Cardiothoracic imaging is one of the early adopters of ML/DL research, and the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in more research focus on the feasibility and applications of ML/DL in cardiothoracic imaging. In this scoping review, we systematically searched available peer-reviewed medical literature on cardiothoracic imaging and quantitatively extracted key data elements in order to get a big picture of how ML/DL have been used in the rapidly evolving cardiothoracic imaging field. During this report, we provide insights on different applications of ML/DL and some nuances pertaining to this specific field of research. Finally, we provide general suggestions on how researchers can make their research more than just a proof-of-concept and move toward clinical adoption.

Deep learning for chest X-ray analysis: A survey

Recent advances in deep learning have led to a promising performance in many medical image analysis tasks. As the most commonly performed radiological exam, chest radiographs are a particularly important modality for which a variety of applications have been researched. The release of multiple, large, publicly available chest X-ray datasets in recent years has encouraged research interest and boosted the number of publications. In this paper, we review all studies using deep learning on chest radiographs published before March 2021, categorizing works by task: image-level prediction (classification and regression), segmentation, localization, image generation and domain adaptation. Detailed descriptions of all publicly available datasets are included and commercial systems in the field are described. A comprehensive discussion of the current state of the art is provided, including caveats on the use of public datasets, the requirements of clinically useful systems and gaps in the current literature.

Estimating dual-energy CT imaging from single-energy CT data with material decomposition convolutional neural network

Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) is of great significance for clinical practice due to its huge potential to provide material-specific information. However, DECT scanners are usually more expensive than standard single-energy CT (SECT) scanners and thus are less accessible to undeveloped regions. In this paper, we show that the energy-domain correlation and anatomical consistency between standard DECT images can be harnessed by a deep learning model to provide high-performance DECT imaging from fully-sampled low-energy data together with single-view high-energy data. We demonstrate the feasibility of the approach with two independent cohorts (the first cohort including contrast-enhanced DECT scans of 5753 image slices from 22 patients and the second cohort including spectral CT scans without contrast injection of 2463 image slices from other 22 patients) and show its superior performance on DECT applications. The deep-learning-based approach could be useful to further significantly reduce the radiation dose of current premium DECT scanners and has the potential to simplify the hardware of DECT imaging systems and to enable DECT imaging using standard SECT scanners.

The detection of lung cancer using massive artificial neural network based on soft tissue technique

BACKGROUND

A proposed computer aided detection (CAD) scheme faces major issues during subtle nodule recognition. However, radiologists have not noticed subtle nodules in beginning stage of lung cancer while a proposed CAD scheme recognizes non subtle nodules using x-ray images.

METHOD

Such an issue has been resolved by creating MANN (Massive Artificial Neural Network) based soft tissue technique from the lung segmented x-ray image. A soft tissue image recognizes nodule candidate for feature extortion and classification. X-ray images are downloaded using Japanese society of radiological technology (JSRT) image set. This image set includes 233 images (140 nodule x-ray images and 93 normal x-ray images). A mean size for a nodule is 17.8 mm and it is validated with computed tomography (CT) image. Thirty percent (42/140) abnormal represents subtle nodules and it is split into five stages (tremendously subtle, very subtle, subtle, observable, relatively observable) by radiologists.

RESULT

A proposed CAD scheme without soft tissue technique attained 66.42% (93/140) sensitivity and 66.76% accuracy having 2.5 false positives per image. Utilizing soft tissue technique, many nodules superimposed by ribs as well as clavicles have identified (sensitivity is 72.85% (102/140) and accuracy is 72.96% at one false positive rate).

CONCLUSION

In particular, a proposed CAD system determine sensitivity and accuracy in support of subtle nodules (sensitivity is 14/42 = 33.33% and accuracy is 33.66%) is statistically higher than CAD (sensitivity is 13/42 = 30.95% and accuracy is 30.97%) scheme without soft tissue technique. A proposed CAD scheme attained tremendously minimum false positive rate and it is a promising technique in support of cancerous recognition due to improved sensitivity and specificity.

Deep learning applications in pulmonary medical imaging: recent updates and insights on COVID-19

Shortly after deep learning algorithms were applied to Image Analysis, and more importantly to medical imaging, their applications increased significantly to become a trend. Likewise, deep learning applications (DL) on pulmonary medical images emerged to achieve remarkable advances leading to promising clinical trials. Yet, coronavirus can be the real trigger to open the route for fast integration of DL in hospitals and medical centers. This paper reviews the development of deep learning applications in medical image analysis targeting pulmonary imaging and giving insights of contributions to COVID-19. It covers more than 160 contributions and surveys in this field, all issued between February 2017 and May 2020 inclusively, highlighting various deep learning tasks such as classification, segmentation, and detection, as well as different pulmonary pathologies like airway diseases, lung cancer, COVID-19 and other infections. It summarizes and discusses the current state-of-the-art approaches in this research domain, highlighting the challenges, especially with COVID-19 pandemic current situation.

Image-to-Images Translation for Multi-Task Organ Segmentation and Bone Suppression in Chest X-Ray Radiography

Chest X-ray radiography is one of the earliest medical imaging technologies and remains one of the most widely-used for diagnosis, screening, and treatment follow up of diseases related to lungs and heart. The literature in this field of research reports many interesting studies dealing with the challenging tasks of bone suppression and organ segmentation but performed separately, limiting any learning that comes with the consolidation of parameters that could optimize both processes. This study, and for the first time, introduces a multitask deep learning model that generates simultaneously the bone-suppressed image and the organ-segmented image, enhancing the accuracy of tasks, minimizing the number of parameters needed by the model and optimizing the processing time, all by exploiting the interplay between the network parameters to benefit the performance of both tasks. The architectural design of this model, which relies on a conditional generative adversarial network, reveals the process on how the wellestablished pix2pix network (image-to-image network) is modified to fit the need for multitasking and extending it to the new image-to-images architecture. The developed source code of this multitask model is shared publicly on Github as the first attempt for providing the two-task pix2pix extension, a supervised/paired/aligned/registered image-to-images translation which would be useful in many multitask applications. Dilated convolutions are also used to improve the results through a more effective receptive field assessment. The comparison with state-of-the-art al-gorithms along with ablation study and a demonstration video1 are provided to evaluate the efficacy and gauge the merits of the proposed approach.