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Publications

Publications by Alexandre Henrique Neto

2022

Literature Review on Artificial Intelligence Methods for Glaucoma Screening, Segmentation, and Classification

Authors
Camara, J; Neto, A; Pires, IM; Villasana, MV; Zdravevski, E; Cunha, A;

Publication
JOURNAL OF IMAGING

Abstract
Artificial intelligence techniques are now being applied in different medical solutions ranging from disease screening to activity recognition and computer-aided diagnosis. The combination of computer science methods and medical knowledge facilitates and improves the accuracy of the different processes and tools. Inspired by these advances, this paper performs a literature review focused on state-of-the-art glaucoma screening, segmentation, and classification based on images of the papilla and excavation using deep learning techniques. These techniques have been shown to have high sensitivity and specificity in glaucoma screening based on papilla and excavation images. The automatic segmentation of the contours of the optic disc and the excavation then allows the identification and assessment of the glaucomatous disease's progression. As a result, we verified whether deep learning techniques may be helpful in performing accurate and low-cost measurements related to glaucoma, which may promote patient empowerment and help medical doctors better monitor patients.

2022

Evaluations of Deep Learning Approaches for Glaucoma Screening Using Retinal Images from Mobile Device

Authors
Neto, A; Camara, J; Cunha, A;

Publication
SENSORS

Abstract
Glaucoma is a silent disease that leads to vision loss or irreversible blindness. Current deep learning methods can help glaucoma screening by extending it to larger populations using retinal images. Low-cost lenses attached to mobile devices can increase the frequency of screening and alert patients earlier for a more thorough evaluation. This work explored and compared the performance of classification and segmentation methods for glaucoma screening with retinal images acquired by both retinography and mobile devices. The goal was to verify the results of these methods and see if similar results could be achieved using images captured by mobile devices. The used classification methods were the Xception, ResNet152 V2 and the Inception ResNet V2 models. The models' activation maps were produced and analysed to support glaucoma classifier predictions. In clinical practice, glaucoma assessment is commonly based on the cup-to-disc ratio (CDR) criterion, a frequent indicator used by specialists. For this reason, additionally, the U-Net architecture was used with the Inception ResNet V2 and Inception V3 models as the backbone to segment and estimate CDR. For both tasks, the performance of the models reached close to that of state-of-the-art methods, and the classification method applied to a low-quality private dataset illustrates the advantage of using cheaper lenses.

2022

Artificial Intelligence for Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: A Roadmap from Technology Development to Clinical Practice

Authors
Renna, F; Martins, M; Neto, A; Cunha, A; Libanio, D; Dinis-Ribeiro, M; Coimbra, M;

Publication
DIAGNOSTICS

Abstract
Stomach cancer is the third deadliest type of cancer in the world (0.86 million deaths in 2017). In 2035, a 20% increase will be observed both in incidence and mortality due to demographic effects if no interventions are foreseen. Upper GI endoscopy (UGIE) plays a paramount role in early diagnosis and, therefore, improved survival rates. On the other hand, human and technical factors can contribute to misdiagnosis while performing UGIE. In this scenario, artificial intelligence (AI) has recently shown its potential in compensating for the pitfalls of UGIE, by leveraging deep learning architectures able to efficiently recognize endoscopic patterns from UGIE video data. This work presents a review of the current state-of-the-art algorithms in the application of AI to gastroscopy. It focuses specifically on the threefold tasks of assuring exam completeness (i.e., detecting the presence of blind spots) and assisting in the detection and characterization of clinical findings, both gastric precancerous conditions and neoplastic lesion changes. Early and promising results have already been obtained using well-known deep learning architectures for computer vision, but many algorithmic challenges remain in achieving the vision of AI-assisted UGIE. Future challenges in the roadmap for the effective integration of AI tools within the UGIE clinical practice are discussed, namely the adoption of more robust deep learning architectures and methods able to embed domain knowledge into image/video classifiers as well as the availability of large, annotated datasets.

2022

DEEP LEARNING APPROACH FOR TERRACE VINEYARDS DETECTION FROM GOOGLE EARTH SATELLITE IMAGERY

Authors
Figueiredo, N; Neto, A; Cunha, A; Sousa, JJ; Sousa, A;

Publication
2022 IEEE INTERNATIONAL GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING SYMPOSIUM (IGARSS 2022)

Abstract
On rugged slopes overlooking the Douro River we find the Alto Douro Wine Region in Portugal, populated by plantations in schist lands of difficult access and mostly manual work. The combined features of this region are a source of motivation to explore remote sensing techniques associated with artificial intelligence. In this paper, a preliminary approach for terrace vineyards detection is presented. This is a key-enabling task towards the achievement of important goals such as multi-temporal crop evaluation and cultures characterization. The proposed methodology consists in the application of a deep learning model (U-net) to detect the terrace vineyards using satellite images dataset acquired with Google Earth Pro. The proposed methodology showed very promising detection capabilities.

2023

Research Challenges for Augmenting Endoscopy Image Datasets using Image Combination Methodologies

Authors
Neto, A; Libânio, D; Ribeiro, MD; Coimbra, MT; Cunha, A;

Publication
CENTERIS 2023 - International Conference on ENTERprise Information Systems / ProjMAN - International Conference on Project MANagement / HCist - International Conference on Health and Social Care Information Systems and Technologies 2023, Porto, Portugal, November 8-10, 2023.

Abstract
Metaplasia detection in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is crucial to identify patients at higher risk of gastric cancer. Deep learning algorithms can be useful for detecting and localising these lesions during an endoscopy exam. However, to train these types of models, a lot of annotated data is needed, which can be a problem in the medical field. To overcome this, data augmentation techniques are commonly applied to increase the dataset's variability but need to be adapted to the specificities of the application scenario. In this study, we discuss the potential benefits and identify four key research challenges of a promising data augmentation approach, namely image combination methodologies, such as CutMix, for metaplasia detection and localisation in gastric endoscopy imaging modalities.

2023

Generative Adversarial Networks for Augmenting Endoscopy Image Datasets of Stomach Precancerous Lesions: A Review

Authors
Magalhaes, B; Neto, A; Cunha, A;

Publication
IEEE ACCESS

Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is still a significant public health issue, among the most common and deadly cancers globally. The identification and characterization of precancerous lesions of the stomach using endoscopy are crucial for determining the risk of cancer and guiding appropriate surveillance. In this scenario, deep learning (DL)-based computer vision methods have the potential to help us classify and identify particular patterns in endoscopic images, leading to a more accurate classification of these types of lesions. The quantity and quality of the data used heavily influence the classification performance of DL networks. However, one of the major setbacks for developing high-performance DL classification models is the typical need for more available data in the medical field. This review explores the use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and classical data augmentation techniques for improving the classification of precancerous stomach lesions. GANs are DL models that have shown promising results in generating synthetic data, which can be used to augment limited medical datasets. This review discusses recent studies that have implemented GANs and classical data augmentation methods to improve the accuracy of cancerous lesion classification. The results indicate that GANs can effectively increase the dataset's size, enhance the classification models' performance. In specific applications, such as the augmentation of endoscopic images depicting gastrointestinal polyps and Barrett's esophagus Adenocarcinoma, our review reveals instances where GANs, including models like Deep Convolutional GANs and conditional GANs, outperform classical data augmentation methods. Furthermore, this review highlights the challenges and limitations of the recent works using GANs and classical data augmentation techniques in medical imaging analysis and proposes directions for future research.

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