Ensemble fusion model for improved lung abnormality classification: Leveraging pre-trained models

Lung abnormalities pose significant health concerns, underscoring the need for swift and accurate diagnoses to facilitate timely medical intervention. This study introduces a novel methodology for the sub-classification of lung abnormalities within chest X-rays captured via smartphones. An accurate and timely diagnosis of lung abnormalities is essential for the successful implementation of appropriate therapy. In this paper, we propose a novel approach using a Convolutional neural network (CNN) with three maximum pooling layers and early fusion for sub-classifying lung abnormalities from chest Xrays. Based on the kind of abnormality, the CheXpert dataset is divided into 13 sub-classes, each of which is trained using a different sub-model. An early fusion procedure is then used to integrate the outputs of the sub-model.•3M-CNN (Method 1): We employed a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with three max pooling layers and an early fusion strategy to train dedicated sub-models for each of the 13 distinct sub-classes of lung abnormalities using the CheXpert dataset.•Ensemble Model (Method 2): Our 'Ensemble model' integrated the outputs of the trained sub-models, providing a powerful approach for the sub-classification of lung abnormalities.•Exceptional Accuracy: Our '3M-CNN' and 'fused model' achieved an accuracy of 98.79%, surpassing established methodologies, which is beneficial in resource-constrained environments embracing smartphone-based imaging.