Abstract: In this chapter we present tools that can be used to build intelligent systems for colonoscopy.
The idea is, by using methods based on computer vision and artificial intelligence, add significant value to the colonoscopy procedure. Intelligent systems are being used to assist in other medical interventions

Abstract: In this paper we present a novel polyp region segmentation method for colonoscopy videos. Our method uses valley information associated to polyp boundaries in order to provide an initial segmentation. This first segmentation is refined to eliminate boundary discontinuities caused by image artifacts or other elements of the scene. Experimental results over a publicly annotated database show that our method outperforms both general and specific segmentation methods by providing more accurate regions rich in polyp content. We also prove how image preprocessing is needed to improve final polyp region segmentation.

Abstract: Despite the availability of accurate, commercial gaze tracker devices working with infrared (IR) technology, visible light gaze tracking constitutes an interesting alternative by allowing scalability and removing hardware requirements. Over the last years, this field has seen examples of research showing performance comparable to the IR alternatives. In this work, we survey the previous work on remote, visible light gaze trackers and analyze the explored techniques from various perspectives such as calibration strategies, head pose invariance, and gaze estimation techniques. We also provide information on related aspects of research such as public datasets to test against, open source projects to build upon, and gaze tracking services to directly use in applications. With all this information, we aim to provide the contemporary and future researchers with a map detailing previously explored ideas and the required tools.

Abstract: Wireless endoscopy is a very recent and at the same time unique technique allowing to visualize and study the occurrence of con- tractions and to analyze the intestine motility. Feature extraction is es- sential for getting efficient patterns to detect contractions in wireless video endoscopy of small intestine. We propose a novel method based on anisotropic image filtering and efficient statistical classification of con- traction features. In particular, we apply the image gradient tensor for mining informative skeletons from the original image and a sequence of descriptors for capturing the characteristic pattern of contractions. Fea- tures extracted from the endoluminal images were evaluated in terms of their discriminatory ability in correct classifying images as either belong- ing to contractions or not. Classification was performed by means of a support vector machine classifier with a radial basis function kernel. Our classification rates gave sensitivity of the order of 90.84% and specificity of the order of 94.43% respectively. These preliminary results highlight the high efficiency of the selected descriptors and support the feasibility of the proposed method in assisting the automatic detection and analysis of contractions.

Abstract: Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is a device that allows the direct visualization of gastrointestinal tract with minimal discomfort for the patient, but at the price of a large amount of time for screening. In order to reduce this time, several works have proposed to automatically remove all the frames showing intestinal content. These methods label frames as {intestinal content – clear} without discriminating between types of content (with different physiological meaning) or the portion of image covered. In addition, since the presence of intestinal content has been identified as an indicator of intestinal motility, its accurate quantification can show a potential clinical relevance. In this paper, we present a method for the robust detection and segmentation of intestinal content in WCE images, together with its further discrimination between turbid liquid and bubbles. Our proposal is based on a twofold system. First, frames presenting intestinal content are detected by a support vector machine classifier using color and textural information. Second, intestinal content frames are segmented into {turbid, bubbles, and clear} regions. We show a detailed validation using a large dataset. Our system outperforms previous methods and, for the first time, discriminates between turbid from bubbles media.