Digital measurement and analysis of wounds based on colour segmentation
| Autor: | Klaus Sahora, T. Wild, M. Prinz, N. Fortner, T. Hoelzenbein, S. Stremitzer, Wilfried Krois |
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| Rok vydání: | 2008 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
business.product_category Health professionals business.industry Granulation tissue Surgical wound infections Surgery Documentation medicine.anatomical_structure Software medicine Segmentation Computer vision Artificial intelligence business Tissue composition Digital camera |
| Zdroj: | European Surgery. 40:5-10 |
| ISSN: | 1682-4016 1682-8631 |
| Popis: | BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers, ulcus cruris and surgical wound infections and disorders belong to the most frequent diseases in our medical system. Treatment of such chronic wounds is often troubled due to subjective documentation, which is usually imprecise. Judging slight changes of lesions is often almost impossible, even for experienced health professionals. Existing computer-based documentation tools allow only measurement of wound size and are actually impractical and not cost effective. METHODS: We have developed a new, computer-based, easy-to-use wound analysing tool by using a "no-touch technique". This semiautomatic software can exactly measure the size of a lesion, including vertical and horizontal diameter, area and circumference, by analysing a picture taken by a digital camera. To straighten out the photo, a calibration marker is placed next to the wound which optimizes the quality of the analysis. Furthermore, the system is capable of tissue validation. Necrosis, fibrin and granulation tissue are automatically distinguished and quantified, which is essential for judging the wound-healing process. After finishing the analysis, a report is created and saved in a database together with all the collected data and pictures. RESULTS: Histological samples of chronic wounds have been taken and surveyed which the have approved the validity of the analyses. Additionally, several independant observers have demonstrated the efficacy of the system by analysing the same lesion. Measuring the size and the tissue types of a wound takes about 90 seconds per lesion. Creating a report with suggestions for therapy needs 4 min. CONCLUSIONS: Our newly developed tool is easy to use, accurate and cheap. The software runs on common PCs and the pictures can be taken by an ordinary state-of-the-art digital camera. With this tool swift analyses of wounds can be performed, objectively stating the size and the tissue composition of the lesions, which is impossible for the naked human eye. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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