Shortwave infrared otoscopy for diagnosis of middle ear effusions: a machine-learning-based approach.

Journal: Scientific reports
PMID: 34131163

Abstract

Otitis media, a common disease marked by the presence of fluid within the middle ear space, imparts a significant global health and economic burden. Identifying an effusion through the tympanic membrane is critical to diagnostic success but remains challenging due to the inherent limitations of visible light otoscopy and user interpretation. Here we describe a powerful diagnostic approach to otitis media utilizing advancements in otoscopy and machine learning. We developed an otoscope that visualizes middle ear structures and fluid in the shortwave infrared region, holding several advantages over traditional approaches. Images were captured in vivo and then processed by a novel machine learning based algorithm. The model predicts the presence of effusions with greater accuracy than current techniques, offering specificity and sensitivity over 90%. This platform has the potential to reduce costs and resources associated with otitis media, especially as improvements are made in shortwave imaging and machine learning.

Authors

  • Rustin G Kashani
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 801 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA. rkashani@stanford.edu.
  • Marcel C Młyńczak
    Institute of Metrology and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Mechatronics, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland.
  • David Zarabanda
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 801 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
  • Paola Solis-Pazmino
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 801 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
  • David M Huland
    Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
  • Iram N Ahmad
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 801 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
  • Surya P Singh
    Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad, Dharwad, Karnataka, India.
  • Tulio A Valdez
    Department of Ototaryngology, Connecticut Children׳s Medical Center, Hartford, CT 06106 USA.

Keywords

External Resources

Popular Topics
Recent Journals