Automated Distal Radius and Ulna Skeletal Maturity Grading from Hand Radiographs with an Attention Multi-Task Learning Method

Bibliographic Details
Title: Automated Distal Radius and Ulna Skeletal Maturity Grading from Hand Radiographs with an Attention Multi-Task Learning Method
Authors: Xiaowei Liu, Rulan Wang, Wenting Jiang, Zhaohua Lu, Ningning Chen, Hongfei Wang
Source: Tomography, Vol 10, Iss 12, Pp 1915-1929 (2024)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics
Subject Terms: bone age, hand-wrist X-ray, scoliosis, deep learning, classification, segmentation, Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics, R858-859.7
More Details: Background: Assessment of skeletal maturity is a common clinical practice to investigate adolescent growth and endocrine disorders. The distal radius and ulna (DRU) maturity classification is a practical and easy-to-use scheme that was designed for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis clinical management and presents high sensitivity in predicting the growth peak and cessation among adolescents. However, time-consuming and error-prone manual assessment limits DRU in clinical application. Methods: In this study, we propose a multi-task learning framework with an attention mechanism for the joint segmentation and classification of the distal radius and ulna in hand X-ray images. The proposed framework consists of two sub-networks: an encoder–decoder structure with attention gates for segmentation and a slight convolutional network for classification. Results: With a transfer learning strategy, the proposed framework improved DRU segmentation and classification over the single task learning counterparts and previously reported methods, achieving an accuracy of 94.3% and 90.8% for radius and ulna maturity grading. Findings: Our automatic DRU assessment platform covers the whole process of growth acceleration and cessation during puberty. Upon incorporation into advanced scoliosis progression prognostic tools, clinical decision making will be potentially improved in the conservative and operative management of scoliosis patients.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2379-139X
2379-1381
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2379-139X/10/12/139; https://doaj.org/toc/2379-1381; https://doaj.org/toc/2379-139X
DOI: 10.3390/tomography10120139
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/35d9a2b6b0ca4d75b503e3de110fc0b6
Accession Number: edsdoj.35d9a2b6b0ca4d75b503e3de110fc0b6
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:2379139X
23791381
DOI:10.3390/tomography10120139
Published in:Tomography
Language:English