A deep learning-based model for automatic segmentation and evaluation of corneal neovascularization using slit-lamp anterior segment images

BACKGROUND: Corneal neovascularization (CoNV) is a common sign in anterior segment eye diseases, the level of which can indicate condition changes. Current CoNV evaluation methods are time-consuming and some of them rely on equipment which is not widely available in hospitals. Thus, a fast and efficient evaluation method is now urgently required. In this study, a deep learning (DL)-based model was developed to automatically segment and evaluate CoNV using anterior segment images from a slit-lamp microscope. METHODS: A total of 80 cornea slit-lamp photographs (from 80 patients) with clinically manifested CoNV were collected from December 2021 to July 2022 at Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital. Of these, 60 images were manually labelled by ophthalmologists using ImageJ software to train the vessel segmentation network IterNet. To evaluate the performance of this automated model, evaluation metrics including accuracy, precision, area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), and F(1) score were calculated between the manually labelled ground truth and the automatic segmentations of CoNV of 20 anterior segment images. Furthermore, the vessels pixel count was automatically calculated and compared with the manually labelled results to evaluate clinical usability of the automated segmentation network. RESULTS: The IterNet model achieved an AUC of 0.989, accuracy of 0.988, sensitivity of 0.879, specificity of 0.993, area under precision-recall of 0.921, and F(1) score of 0.879. The Bland-Altman plot between manually labelled ground truth and automated segmentation results produced a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.989, 95% limits of agreement between 865.4 and −562.4, and the vessels pixel count’s Pearson coefficient of correlation was 0.981 (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The fully automated network model IterNet provides a time-saving and efficient method to make a quantitative evaluation of CoNV using slit-lamp anterior segment images. This method demonstrates great value and clinical application potential for patient care and future research.