IQ-MED: Image Quality enhancement in MEDical diagnosis, monitoring and treatment

Medical imaging is an essential part of the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. The ever increasing range of medical imaging techniques has improved diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of patients. It is necessary to produce high quality images since poor quality images are a major source of diagnostic errors. High quality medical images are crucial in ensuring the best possible diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of patients. The core concept of the project "IQ-MED: Image Quality enhancement in MEDical diagnosis, monitoring and treatment" is enhancement of medical images, leading to better healthcare. The project is highly relevant and of great benefit to society. High quality of medical images is crucial in order to ensure the best possible diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of patients. The project is divided into four work packages. The first is an overarching work package on image quality enhancement, relevant for the three other work packages. The important result from the first workpackage is an error reduction techinque through post processing for wireless capsule endoscope video. The second work package focuses on enhancing the quality of capsule video endoscopy. The most relevant result is a method for detection of pathologies from weakly labeled capsule endoscopy data. The third work package is dedicated to image enhancement for more accurate navigation in video guided surgery, and a technique for real-time removal of smoke in these video have been proposed. The last work package focuses on image enhancement in skin imaging, where a proof of concept system has been developed and evaluated that is close to real-time. The first work package has focused on 3d reconstruction of capsule video endoscopy, the second work package has focused on image enhancement and automatic detection of polyps. The third work package has focused on liver surface reconstruction for image guided surgery. The last work package has worked on real-time monitoring of oxygenation using non-invasive imaging. The project includes several national and international partners, whom of each is renowned in their field and highly capable of bringing complementary skills. This collaboration also facilitates and enhances the value creation through the utilization of the research results in practice. It also ensures that the results are brought into practice fast and thereby benefit society. The project supported the education of 3 PhD candidates and 2 researchers holding a PhD.

The IQ-MED project has had impact within and outside of the medical imaging field. The project has educated three PhD students, who focused on three different imaging modalities (capsule video endoscopy, video guided surgery and skin imaging). In addition, the project has had two post doctoral researchers. These have obtained a unique competence, bridging color imaging/image processing and medical imaging. IQ-MED has also resulted in notable findings and techniques. Examples are a stochastic capsule endoscopy image enhancement technique, that also is useful for enhancing natural images. Another example is the proof of concept for skin oxygenation imaging, a spectral filter array camera for clinical monitoring and diagnosis. There have also been developed techniques for real-time smoke removal in video guided surgery. IQ-MED has resulted in a new project "Improved Pathology Detection in Wireless Capsule Endoscopy Images through Artificial Intelligence and 3D Reconstruction".

As indicated by its title, IQ-MED: Image Quality enhancement in MEDical diagnosis, monitoring and treatment, the core concept of the project enhancement of medical images, leading to better healthcare. The project is highly relevant and of great benefit to society. High quality of medical images are crucial in order to ensure the best possible diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of patients. The project is divided into four work packages. The first is an overarching work package on image quality enhancement, relevant for the three other work packages. The second work package focuses on enhancing the quality of capsule video endoscopy. The third work package is dedicated to image enhancement for more accurate navigation in video guided surgery. The last work package focuses on image enhancement in skin imaging. The project includes several national and international partners, whom of each is renowned in their field and highly capable of bringing complementary skills. The innovation capacity and the number of innovative activities of the public sector actors increase through the collaboration with the relevant public sector actors, as Oslo University Hospital and Innlandet Hospital. This collaboration also facilitates and enhances the value creation through the utilisation of the research results in practice, It also ensures that the results are brought into practice fast and thereby benefit society. The project, which has a planned total cost of about 15.96 MNOK of which we apply for 12 MNOK from the RCN, will support the education of 3 PhD candidates and 2 researchers holding a PhD will be employed. An extensive list of highly competent and relevant partners from Norway and abroad will contribute significantly to the success of the project, e.g. through an extensive mobility program.