title: Contextual analysis and intermediate cell markers enhance high-resolution cell image analysis for automated cervical smear diagnosis.
abstract: Until now, efforts to automate cervical smear diagnosis have focused on analyzing features of individual cells. In a complex specimen such as that obtained from a cervical scrape, diagnostically significant cells may not be adequately represented or may elude detection by the automated technology. An approach is needed that extracts additional quantitative information from cervical smears beyond what the cell-by-cell approach can provide. A new methodology, contextual analysis, was developed to extract global quantitative information about cells, cell clusters, and background debris. This pilot study was designed to compare the efficacy of contextual analysis with high-resolution, single cell analysis and the analysis of intermediate cell markers. Thirty-four samples prepared as monolayers and stained with the Feulgen-Thionin/Congo Red stain were measured. Contextual analysis alone was able to classify 91% of the smears correctly; single cell analysis classified 94% of the cells correctly; and the intermediate cell analysis correctly identified the smear diagnosis for 84% of the cells. When all three analysis methods were combined into a simple smear level classifier, the overall smear classification accuracy was improved over those obtained using the three methodologies alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Zahniser
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000737:chemistry*; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006652:Histological Techniques; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D002577:Uterine Cervical Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D014626:Vaginal Smears
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers