Detection of Tibia Diaphysis Fractures in X Ray Images using Combined Features and Ensemble Classifiers

Abstract

The rapid progress in computerized medical image reconstruction and the associated developments in computer-aided diagnosis have propelled medical imaging as one of the most important sub-fields in digital image processing. It is the field of science that is gaining wide acceptance in healthcare industry due to its technological advances and software breakthroughs. Recent developments in medical research produces a continuous stream of new knowledge about diseases, its progress, new curative directions and the complex relationship between a person s genome and his/her related risk for disease. Medical imaging now plays a central role in the global healthcare system as it contributes to improved patient care. newlineMedical imaging consists of imaging devices that help to identify different aspects of the tissues and organs based on various properties and reveal new properties of the tissue and internal structure. The role of medical imaging in diagnostic features is innumerable and is mainly used to produce digital images of human body. Modern standards such as Digital Imaging and Communication (DICOM) (Bidgood et al., 1997) and Picture Archival and Communication Systems (PACS) (Lehmann et al., 2003), make it relatively optimal to store images, quick to transport images, and interoperable across standards. These pictures act as powerful tools during diagnosis, treatment and surgery. newlineThe state-of-the-art equipments that produce human organs in digital form used during treatment include X-Ray (X-Radiography) based methods such as radiography and Computerized Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), UltraSound (US), nuclear medicine with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and several methods in optical imaging. newlineThe development of medical imaging over the past few decades has been revolutionary, advancing the frontiers of medical imaging that requires knowledge and application of the latest image manipulation