Zhao, L., Li, K., Pu, B., Chen, J., Li, S., & Liao, X. (2022). An ultrasound standard plane detection model of fetal head based on multi-task learning and hybrid knowledge graph. Future Generation Computer Systems. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2022.04.011
Abstract:
Prenatal ultrasound examination is a powerful tool to prevent birth defects and assess fetal health.
Obtaining ultrasound standard planes is a prerequisite for prenatal ultrasound diagnosis. However, ultrasound
standard plane detection depends heavily on the sonographer’s sufficient clinical experience
and solid knowledge of fetal anatomy. In this study, to lighten the workload of the sonographer and
promote the accuracy, efficiency, and interpretability of ultrasound standard plane detection, we propose
an ultrasound standard plane detection (USPD) model based on multi-task learning and a hybrid
knowledge graph. We first design a multi-task learning strategy to learn the shared features of fetal
ultrasound images through convolutional blocks. Then, we optimize the generalization performance
by extending the shared features into the task-specific output streams. In addition, USPD integrates
clinical prior knowledge graphs to reduce the error rate and missed detection rate. The USPD model
can recognize the key anatomical structures of fetal heads and analyze the types of ultrasound planes.
Furthermore, unlike most "end-to-end" automatic detection models, the USPD model not only outputs
the prediction results but also provides consistent interpretation for professional sonographers,
thereby increasing the interpretability of the model without the sonographer’s intervention. We conduct
extensive experiments on a fetal head ultrasound image dataset to assess the proposed USPD
model via comparison with competitive methods. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed
USPD model outperforms the competitive methods with regard to accuracy and performance, and it
can meet the clinical requirements in practical application.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This work was supported in part by the National Key R&D Program of China under Grant 2019YFB2103005 and in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 62072168 and 6217071835, and in part by the Postgraduate Scientific Research Innovation Project of Hunan Province