Reinforcement-based leveraging transfer learning for multiclass optical coherence tomography images classification.

Journal: Scientific reports
PMID:

Abstract

The accurate diagnosis of retinal diseases, such as Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) and Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), is essential for preventing vision loss. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging plays a crucial role in identifying these conditions, especially given the increasing prevalence of AMD. This study introduces a novel Reinforcement-Based Leveraging Transfer Learning (RBLTL) framework, which integrates reinforcement Q-learning with transfer learning using pre-trained models, including InceptionV3, DenseNet201, and InceptionResNetV2. The RBLTL framework dynamically optimizes hyperparameters, improving classification accuracy and generalization while mitigating overfitting. Experimental evaluations demonstrate remarkable performance, achieving testing accuracies of 98.75%, 98.90%, and 99.20% across three scenarios for multiclass OCT image classification. These results highlight the effectiveness of the RBLTL framework in categorizing OCT images for conditions like DME and AMD, establishing it as a reliable and versatile approach for automated medical image classification with significant implications for clinical diagnostics.

Authors

  • Yawar Abbas
    Key Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. abbasyawar@whu.edu.cn.
  • Hassan Jalil Hadi
    College of Computer and Information Sciences, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Kamran Aziz
    Key Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. kamran_aziz@whu.edu.cn.
  • Naveed Ahmed
    School of Computing, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia.
  • Muhammad Usman Akhtar
    School of Software, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Taicang, 215400, China.
  • Mohammed Ali Alshara
    College of Computer and Information Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia.
  • Prasun Chakrabarti
    Deputy Provost, ITM SLS Baroda University, Vadodara, India.