A Unified Model-Based Image Analysis Framework for Automated Detection of Precancerous Lesions in Digitized Uterine Cervix Images

A unified framework for a fully automated diagnostic system for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is proposed. CIN is a detectable and treatable precursor pathology of cancer of the uterine cervix. Algorithms based on mathematical morphology, and clustering based on Gaussian mixture modeling (GMM) in a joint color and geometric feature space, are used to segment macro regions. A non-parametric technique, based on the transformation and analysis of the D(R) (distortion-rate) curve is proposed to assess the model order. This technique provides good starting points to infer the GMM parameters via the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm, reducing the segmentation time and the chances of getting trapped in local optima. The classification of vascular abnormalities in CIN, such as mosaicism and punctations, is modeled as a texture classification problem, and a solution is attempted by characterizing the neighborhood gray-tone dependences and co-occurrence statistics of the textures. The model presented in this paper provides a sequential framework for translating digital images of the cervix into a complete diagnostic tool, with minimal human intervention. In its current form, the research presented in this work may be used to aid physicians to locate abnormalities due to CIN and assess the best areas for a biopsy.