Modeling, Pattern Analysis and Feature-Based Retrieval on Retinal Images

• Main Author: Ying, Huajun
• Other Authors: Liu, Jyh-Charn
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: retinal image; image processing
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2011-05-9134

Inexpensive high quality fundus camera systems enable imaging of retina for vision related health management and diagnosis at large scale. A computer based analysis system can help establish the general baseline of normal conditions vs. anomalous ones, so that different classes of retinal conditions can be classified. Advanced applications, ranging from disease screening algorithms, aging vs. disease trend modeling and prediction, and content-based retrieval systems can be developed. In this dissertation, I propose an analytical framework for the modeling of retina blood vessels to capture their statistical properties, so that based on these properties one can develop blood vessel mapping algorithms with self-optimized parameters. Then, other image objects can be registered based on vascular topology modeling techniques. On the basis of these low level analytical models and algorithms, the third major element of this dissertation is a high level population statistics application, in which texture classification of macular patterns is correlated with vessel structures, which can also be used for retinal image retrieval. The analytical models have been implemented and tested based on various image sources. Some of the algorithms have been used for clinical tests. The major contributions of this dissertation are summarized as follows: (1) A concise, accurate feature representation of retinal blood vessel on retinal images by proposing two feature descriptors Sp and Ep derived from radial contrast transform. (2) A new statistical model of lognormal distribution, which captures the underlying physical property of the levels of generations of the vascular network on retinal images. (3) Fast and accurate detection algorithms for retinal objects, which include retinal blood vessel, macular-fovea area and optic disc, and (4) A novel population statistics based modeling technique for correlation analysis of blood vessels and other image objects that only exhibit subtle texture changes.