@article{SouzaJrPachecoPassosetal., author = {Souza Jr., Luis Antonio de and Pacheco, Andr{\´e} G.C. and Passos, Leandro A. and Santana, Marcos Cleison S. and Mendel, Robert and Ebigbo, Alanna and Probst, Andreas and Messmann, Helmut and Palm, Christoph and Papa, Jo{\~a}o Paulo}, title = {DeepCraftFuse: visual and deeply-learnable features work better together for esophageal cancer detection in patients with Barrett's esophagus}, series = {Neural Computing and Applications}, volume = {36}, journal = {Neural Computing and Applications}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {London}, doi = {10.1007/s00521-024-09615-z}, pages = {10445 -- 10459}, abstract = {Limitations in computer-assisted diagnosis include lack of labeled data and inability to model the relation between what experts see and what computers learn. Even though artificial intelligence and machine learning have demonstrated remarkable performances in medical image computing, their accountability and transparency level must be improved to transfer this success into clinical practice. The reliability of machine learning decisions must be explained and interpreted, especially for supporting the medical diagnosis. While deep learning techniques are broad so that unseen information might help learn patterns of interest, human insights to describe objects of interest help in decision-making. This paper proposes a novel approach, DeepCraftFuse, to address the challenge of combining information provided by deep networks with visual-based features to significantly enhance the correct identification of cancerous tissues in patients affected with Barrett's esophagus (BE). We demonstrate that DeepCraftFuse outperforms state-of-the-art techniques on private and public datasets, reaching results of around 95\% when distinguishing patients affected by BE that is either positive or negative to esophageal cancer.}, subject = {Deep Learning}, language = {en} } @misc{ScheppachMendelProbstetal., author = {Scheppach, Markus W. and Mendel, Robert and Probst, Andreas and Meinikheim, Michael and Palm, Christoph and Messmann, Helmut and Ebigbo, Alanna}, title = {Intraprozedurale Strukturerkennung bei Third-Space Endoskopie mithilfe eines Deep-Learning Algorithmus}, series = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Gastroenterologie}, volume = {60}, journal = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Gastroenterologie}, number = {04}, publisher = {Thieme}, address = {Stuttgart}, doi = {10.1055/s-0042-1745652}, pages = {e250-e251}, abstract = {Einleitung Third-Space Interventionen wie die endoskopische Submukosadissektion (ESD) und die perorale endoskopische Myotomie (POEM) sind technisch anspruchsvoll und mit einem erh{\"o}hten Risiko f{\"u}r intraprozedurale Komplikationen wie Blutung oder Perforation assoziiert. Moderne Computerprogramme zur Unterst{\"u}tzung bei diagnostischen Entscheidungen werden unter Einsatz von k{\"u}nstlicher Intelligenz (KI) in der Endoskopie bereits erfolgreich eingesetzt. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, relevante anatomische Strukturen mithilfe eines Deep-Learning Algorithmus zu detektieren und segmentieren, um die Sicherheit und Anwendbarkeit von ESD und POEM zu erh{\"o}hen. Methoden Zw{\"o}lf Videoaufnahmen in voller L{\"a}nge von Third-Space Endoskopien wurden aus der Datenbank des Universit{\"a}tsklinikums Augsburg extrahiert. 1686 Einzelbilder wurden f{\"u}r die Kategorien Submukosa, Blutgef{\"a}ß, Dissektionsmesser und endoskopisches Instrument annotiert und segmentiert. Mit diesem Datensatz wurde ein DeepLabv3+neuronales Netzwerk auf der Basis eines ResNet mit 101 Schichten trainiert und intern anhand der Parameter Intersection over Union (IoU), Dice Score und Pixel Accuracy validiert. Die F{\"a}higkeit des Algorithmus zur Gef{\"a}ßdetektion wurde anhand von 24 Videoclips mit einer Spieldauer von 7 bis 46 Sekunden mit 33 vordefinierten Gef{\"a}ßen evaluiert. Anhand dieses Tests wurde auch die Gef{\"a}ßdetektionsrate eines Experten in der Third-Space Endoskopie ermittelt. Ergebnisse Der Algorithmus zeigte eine Gef{\"a}ßdetektionsrate von 93,94\% mit einer mittleren Rate an falsch positiven Signalen von 1,87 pro Minute. Die Gef{\"a}ßdetektionsrate des Experten lag bei 90,1\% ohne falsch positive Ergebnisse. In der internen Validierung an Einzelbildern wurde eine IoU von 63,47\%, ein mittlerer Dice Score von 76,18\% und eine Pixel Accuracy von 86,61\% ermittelt. Zusammenfassung Dies ist der erste KI-Algorithmus, der f{\"u}r den Einsatz in der therapeutischen Endoskopie entwickelt wurde. Pr{\"a}limin{\"a}re Ergebnisse deuten auf eine mit Experten vergleichbare Detektion von Gef{\"a}ßen w{\"a}hrend der Untersuchung hin. Weitere Untersuchungen sind n{\"o}tig, um die Leistung des Algorithmus im Vergleich zum Experten genauer zu eruieren sowie einen m{\"o}glichen klinischen Nutzen zu ermitteln.}, language = {de} } @inproceedings{RauberMendelScheppachetal., author = {Rauber, David and Mendel, Robert and Scheppach, Markus W. and Ebigbo, Alanna and Messmann, Helmut and Palm, Christoph}, title = {Analysis of Celiac Disease with Multimodal Deep Learning}, series = {Bildverarbeitung f{\"u}r die Medizin 2022: Proceedings, German Workshop on Medical Image Computing, Heidelberg, June 26-28, 2022}, booktitle = {Bildverarbeitung f{\"u}r die Medizin 2022: Proceedings, German Workshop on Medical Image Computing, Heidelberg, June 26-28, 2022}, publisher = {Springer Vieweg}, address = {Wiesbaden}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-658-36932-3_25}, pages = {115 -- 120}, abstract = {Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder caused by gluten that results in an inflammatory response of the small intestine.We investigated whether celiac disease can be detected using endoscopic images through a deep learning approach. The results show that additional clinical parameters can improve the classification accuracy. In this work, we distinguished between healthy tissue and Marsh III, according to the Marsh score system. We first trained a baseline network to classify endoscopic images of the small bowel into these two classes and then augmented the approach with a multimodality component that took the antibody status into account.}, language = {en} } @misc{ScheppachRauberMendeletal., author = {Scheppach, Markus W. and Rauber, David and Mendel, Robert and Palm, Christoph and Byrne, Michael F. and Messmann, Helmut and Ebigbo, Alanna}, title = {Detection Of Celiac Disease Using A Deep Learning Algorithm}, series = {Endoscopy}, volume = {53}, journal = {Endoscopy}, number = {S 01}, publisher = {Georg Thieme Verlag}, address = {Stuttgart}, doi = {10.1055/s-0041-1724970}, abstract = {Aims Celiac disease (CD) is a complex condition caused by an autoimmune reaction to ingested gluten. Due to its polymorphic manifestation and subtle endoscopic presentation, the diagnosis is difficult and thus the disorder is underreported. We aimed to use deep learning to identify celiac disease on endoscopic images of the small bowel. Methods Patients with small intestinal histology compatible with CD (MARSH classification I-III) were extracted retrospectively from the database of Augsburg University hospital. They were compared to patients with no clinical signs of CD and histologically normal small intestinal mucosa. In a first step MARSH III and normal small intestinal mucosa were differentiated with the help of a deep learning algorithm. For this, the endoscopic white light images were divided into five equal-sized subsets. We avoided splitting the images of one patient into several subsets. A ResNet-50 model was trained with the images from four subsets and then validated with the remaining subset. This process was repeated for each subset, such that each subset was validated once. Sensitivity, specificity, and harmonic mean (F1) of the algorithm were determined. Results The algorithm showed values of 0.83, 0.88, and 0.84 for sensitivity, specificity, and F1, respectively. Further data showing a comparison between the detection rate of the AI model and that of experienced endoscopists will be available at the time of the upcoming conference. Conclusions We present the first clinical report on the use of a deep learning algorithm for the detection of celiac disease using endoscopic images. Further evaluation on an external data set, as well as in the detection of CD in real-time, will follow. However, this work at least suggests that AI can assist endoscopists in the endoscopic diagnosis of CD, and ultimately may be able to do a true optical biopsy in live-time.}, language = {en} } @misc{RoemmeleMendelRauberetal., author = {R{\"o}mmele, Christoph and Mendel, Robert and Rauber, David and R{\"u}ckert, Tobias and Byrne, Michael F. and Palm, Christoph and Messmann, Helmut and Ebigbo, Alanna}, title = {Endoscopic Diagnosis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis Using a deep Learning Algorithm}, series = {Endoscopy}, volume = {53}, journal = {Endoscopy}, number = {S 01}, publisher = {Georg Thieme Verlag}, address = {Stuttgart}, doi = {10.1055/s-0041-1724274}, abstract = {Aims Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is easily missed during endoscopy, either because physicians are not familiar with its endoscopic features or the morphologic changes are too subtle. In this preliminary paper, we present the first attempt to detect EoE in endoscopic white light (WL) images using a deep learning network (EoE-AI). Methods 401 WL images of eosinophilic esophagitis and 871 WL images of normal esophageal mucosa were evaluated. All images were assessed for the Endoscopic Reference score (EREFS) (edema, rings, exudates, furrows, strictures). Images with strictures were excluded. EoE was defined as the presence of at least 15 eosinophils per high power field on biopsy. A convolutional neural network based on the ResNet architecture with several five-fold cross-validation runs was used. Adding auxiliary EREFS-classification branches to the neural network allowed the inclusion of the scores as optimization criteria during training. EoE-AI was evaluated for sensitivity, specificity, and F1-score. In addition, two human endoscopists evaluated the images. Results EoE-AI showed a mean sensitivity, specificity, and F1 of 0.759, 0.976, and 0.834 respectively, averaged over the five distinct cross-validation runs. With the EREFS-augmented architecture, a mean sensitivity, specificity, and F1-score of 0.848, 0.945, and 0.861 could be demonstrated respectively. In comparison, the two human endoscopists had an average sensitivity, specificity, and F1-score of 0.718, 0.958, and 0.793. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of deep learning to endoscopic images of EoE which were also assessed after augmentation with the EREFS-score. The next step is the evaluation of EoE-AI using an external dataset. We then plan to assess the EoE-AI tool on endoscopic videos, and also in real-time. This preliminary work is encouraging regarding the ability for AI to enhance physician detection of EoE, and potentially to do a true "optical biopsy" but more work is needed.}, language = {en} } @article{SouzaJrMendelStrasseretal., author = {Souza Jr., Luis Antonio de and Mendel, Robert and Strasser, Sophia and Ebigbo, Alanna and Probst, Andreas and Messmann, Helmut and Papa, Jo{\~a}o Paulo and Palm, Christoph}, title = {Convolutional Neural Networks for the evaluation of cancer in Barrett's esophagus: Explainable AI to lighten up the black-box}, series = {Computers in Biology and Medicine}, volume = {135}, journal = {Computers in Biology and Medicine}, publisher = {Elsevier}, issn = {0010-4825}, doi = {10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104578}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-20126}, pages = {1 -- 14}, abstract = {Even though artificial intelligence and machine learning have demonstrated remarkable performances in medical image computing, their level of accountability and transparency must be provided in such evaluations. The reliability related to machine learning predictions must be explained and interpreted, especially if diagnosis support is addressed. For this task, the black-box nature of deep learning techniques must be lightened up to transfer its promising results into clinical practice. Hence, we aim to investigate the use of explainable artificial intelligence techniques to quantitatively highlight discriminative regions during the classification of earlycancerous tissues in Barrett's esophagus-diagnosed patients. Four Convolutional Neural Network models (AlexNet, SqueezeNet, ResNet50, and VGG16) were analyzed using five different interpretation techniques (saliency, guided backpropagation, integrated gradients, input × gradients, and DeepLIFT) to compare their agreement with experts' previous annotations of cancerous tissue. We could show that saliency attributes match best with the manual experts' delineations. Moreover, there is moderate to high correlation between the sensitivity of a model and the human-and-computer agreement. The results also lightened that the higher the model's sensitivity, the stronger the correlation of human and computational segmentation agreement. We observed a relevant relation between computational learning and experts' insights, demonstrating how human knowledge may influence the correct computational learning.}, subject = {Deep Learning}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SouzaJrPassosMendeletal., author = {Souza Jr., Luis Antonio de and Passos, Leandro A. and Mendel, Robert and Ebigbo, Alanna and Probst, Andreas and Messmann, Helmut and Palm, Christoph and Papa, Jo{\~a}o Paulo}, title = {Fine-tuning Generative Adversarial Networks using Metaheuristics}, series = {Bildverarbeitung f{\"u}r die Medizin 2021. Proceedings, German Workshop on Medical Image Computing, Regensburg, March 7-9, 2021}, booktitle = {Bildverarbeitung f{\"u}r die Medizin 2021. Proceedings, German Workshop on Medical Image Computing, Regensburg, March 7-9, 2021}, publisher = {Springer Vieweg}, address = {Wiesbaden}, isbn = {978-3-658-33197-9}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-658-33198-6_50}, pages = {205 -- 210}, abstract = {Barrett's esophagus denotes a disorder in the digestive system that affects the esophagus' mucosal cells, causing reflux, and showing potential convergence to esophageal adenocarcinoma if not treated in initial stages. Thus, fast and reliable computer-aided diagnosis becomes considerably welcome. Nevertheless, such approaches usually suffer from imbalanced datasets, which can be addressed through Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). Such techniques generate realistic images based on observed samples, even though at the cost of a proper selection of its hyperparameters. Many works employed a class of nature-inspired algorithms called metaheuristics to tackle the problem considering distinct deep learning approaches. Therefore, this paper's main contribution is to introduce metaheuristic techniques to fine-tune GANs in the context of Barrett's esophagus identification, as well as to investigate the feasibility of generating high-quality synthetic images for early-cancer assisted identification.}, subject = {Endoskopie}, language = {en} } @article{EbigboPalmMessmann, author = {Ebigbo, Alanna and Palm, Christoph and Messmann, Helmut}, title = {Barrett esophagus: What to expect from Artificial Intelligence?}, series = {Best Practice \& Research Clinical Gastroenterology}, volume = {52-53}, journal = {Best Practice \& Research Clinical Gastroenterology}, number = {June-August}, publisher = {Elsevier}, issn = {1521-6918}, doi = {10.1016/j.bpg.2021.101726}, abstract = {The evaluation and assessment of Barrett's esophagus is challenging for both expert and nonexpert endoscopists. However, the early diagnosis of cancer in Barrett's esophagus is crucial for its prognosis, and could save costs. Pre-clinical and clinical studies on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Barrett's esophagus have shown promising results. In this review, we focus on the current challenges and future perspectives of implementing AI systems in the management of patients with Barrett's esophagus.}, subject = {Deep Learning}, language = {en} } @misc{EbigboMendelProbstetal., author = {Ebigbo, Alanna and Mendel, Robert and Probst, Andreas and Manzeneder, Johannes and Souza Jr., Luis Antonio de and Papa, Jo{\~a}o Paulo and Palm, Christoph and Messmann, Helmut}, title = {Artificial Intelligence in Early Barrett's Cancer: The Segmentation Task}, series = {Endoscopy}, volume = {51}, journal = {Endoscopy}, number = {04}, publisher = {Georg Thieme Verlag}, address = {Stuttgart}, doi = {10.1055/s-0039-1681187}, pages = {6}, abstract = {Aims: The delineation of outer margins of early Barrett's cancer can be challenging even for experienced endoscopists. Artificial intelligence (AI) could assist endoscopists faced with this task. As of date, there is very limited experience in this domain. In this study, we demonstrate the measure of overlap (Dice coefficient = D) between highly experienced Barrett endoscopists and an AI system in the delineation of cancer margins (segmentation task). Methods: An AI system with a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained and tested on high-definition endoscopic images of early Barrett's cancer (n = 33) and normal Barrett's mucosa (n = 41). The reference standard for the segmentation task were the manual delineations of tumor margins by three highly experienced Barrett endoscopists. Training of the AI system included patch generation, patch augmentation and adjustment of the CNN weights. Then, the segmentation results from patch classification and thresholding of the class probabilities. Segmentation results were evaluated using the Dice coefficient (D). Results: The Dice coefficient (D) which can range between 0 (no overlap) and 1 (complete overlap) was computed only for images correctly classified by the AI-system as cancerous. At a threshold of t = 0.5, a mean value of D = 0.72 was computed. Conclusions: AI with CNN performed reasonably well in the segmentation of the tumor region in Barrett's cancer, at least when compared with expert Barrett's endoscopists. AI holds a lot of promise as a tool for better visualization of tumor margins but may need further improvement and enhancement especially in real-time settings.}, subject = {Speiser{\"o}hrenkrankheit}, language = {en} }