Simultaneous shape and camera-projector parameter estimation for 3D endoscopic system using CNN-based grid-oneshot scan

Healthc Technol Lett. 2019 Nov 26;6(6):249-254. doi: 10.1049/htl.2019.0070. eCollection 2019 Dec.

Abstract

For effective in situ endoscopic diagnosis and treatment, measurement of polyp sizes is important. For this purpose, 3D endoscopic systems have been researched. Among such systems, an active stereo technique, which projects a special pattern wherein each feature is coded, is a promising approach because of simplicity and high precision. However, previous works of this approach have problems. First, the quality of 3D reconstruction depended on the stabilities of feature extraction from the images captured by the endoscope camera. Second, due to the limited pattern projection area, the reconstructed region was relatively small. In this Letter, the authors propose a learning-based technique using convolutional neural networks to solve the first problem and an extended bundle adjustment technique, which integrates multiple shapes into a consistent single shape, to address the second. The effectiveness of the proposed techniques compared to previous techniques was evaluated experimentally.

Keywords: 3D endoscopic system; CNN-based grid-oneshot scan; active stereo technique; camera-projector parameter estimation; cameras; computer vision; endoscope camera; endoscopes; extended bundle adjustment technique; feature extraction; image matching; image reconstruction; learning (artificial intelligence); learning-based technique; medical image processing; neural nets; pattern projection area; polyp sizes; situ endoscopic diagnosis; special pattern; stereo image processing.