Enhancing Multi-Object Detection in Ultrasound Images Through Semi-Supervised Learning, Focal Loss and Relation of...

To identify musculoskeletal anatomical structures in real time by using deep learning techniques.

An automated annotation system based on deep learning neural networks was designed to aid in the real-time identification of anatomical structures. Additionally, novel algorithms aimed at diminishing model training duration while enhancing accuracy were introduced. In this study, we proposed a semi-supervised learning (SSL) approach that substantially reduced annotation time. We also adopted the focal loss (FL) method to enhance the accuracy of challenging structures. Additionally, during the inference stage, we harnessed the temporal continuity of video frames, which involved leveraging information from preceding frames to facilitate recognition of structures in the current image. Training the model through a combination of SSL and FL yielded superior performance compared with supervised learning, while also substantially mitigating any expense linked to annotations. During inference, the incorporation of frame continuity helped to avoid discontinuity and bolster accuracy.

Forearm tissue detection was demonstrated by properly configuring the SSL approach, including FL and the filtering threshold. Comparable performance with supervised learning was achieved while only using 30% of the training data. The real-time experimental results also demonstrated that implementing relation of frame reduced the number of missing frames during inference and successfully increased the confidence scores of detected objects.

This proposed system has the potential to aid medical professionals in efficiently and effectively diagnosing musculoskeletal disorders, ultimately leading to enhanced patient outcomes.