Identification of Structures to Perform Image Quality Assessment in Real-Time Endoscopy Imaging

An Image Quality Assessment (IQA) is performed according to the standards that specify the conditions under which the assessment must be done and how the test charts are to be designed. A subjective analysis demands following the standards more stringently so as to enable quantifying the image parameters as perceived by humans. A complete IQA solution ImageLab is developed following the standards to assess the image quality of images of standard or custom test charts captured using an endoscope. However, such an analysis cannot be performed during a live endoscopic examination. A live implementation of IQA during an endoscopic examination would allow adjusting the image parameters like sharpness, visual noise, and dynamic range during the run-time, thereby maintaining an adequate image quality at every instant. To implement this technique, the first step is to identify structures in the pathways of the body where the examination is done and extract features on which the IQA could be performed. For this purpose, an animal study was conducted and images of the structures in the upper gastrointestinal tract of porcine models were obtained. The IQA results of the features from the images of epiglottis and esophagus are discussed and also compared with the IQA results under the standard conditions in which a test chart is imaged. The features in the epiglottis image gave similar results to the test chart images whereas that of the esophagus did not, showing that some specific structures could be chosen to perform IQA during a live procedure that comply with the standards.