An auricular division method based on ASM algorithm

BACKGROUND: Auricular acupuncture point (AAP) therapy is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine and is featured with a sophisticated location method based on the division of auricular subzones. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to realize the automatic computerized division on the relatively small area of the research object which has long been considered difficult. METHOD: We propose a novel method based on the active shape model algorithm and the “Name and location of AAPs” issued by the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS STANDARD-002:2013). RESULTS: The experimental results showed that the subzones of the auricle could be divided for the location of AAPs using the proposed method automatically and efficiently. The average Hausdorff distance and Euclid distance of landmarks between the machine and the manual positioning were 6.28 [Formula: see text] 0.50 and 6.67 [Formula: see text] 0.59, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method might provide benefits for further development of therapeutic and educational applications of AAPs.