Unsupervised detection of fibrosis in microscopy images using fractals and fuzzy c-means clustering

Abstract

The advances in improved fluorescent probes and better cameras in collaboration with the advent of computers in imaging and image analysis, assist the task of diagnosis in many fields of biologic and medical research. In this paper, we introduce a computer-assisted image characterization tool based on a Fuzzy clustering method for the quantification of degree of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) in medical images. The implementation of this algorithmic strategy is very promising concerning the issue of the automated assessment of microscopic images of lung fibrotic regions. © 2012 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.