Non-invasive assessment of liver quality in transplantation based on thermal imaging analysis

Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2018 Oct:164:31-47. doi: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2018.06.003. Epub 2018 Jun 30.

Abstract

Background and objective: Liver quality evaluation is one of the vital steps for predicting the success of liver transplantation. Current evaluation methods, such as biopsy and visual inspection, which are either invasive or lack of consistent standards, provide limited predictive value of long-term transplant viability. Objective analytical models, based on the real-time infrared images of livers during perfusion and preservation, are proposed as novel methods to precisely evaluate donated liver quality.

Methods: In this study, by using principal component analysis to extract infrared image features as predictors, we construct a multivariate logistic regression model for single liver quality evaluation, and a multi-task learning logistic regression model for cross-liver quality evaluation.

Results: The single liver quality predictions show testing errors of 0%. The leave-one-liver-out predictions show testing errors ranging from 9% to 36%.

Conclusions: It is found that there is a strong correlation between the viability of livers and the infrared image features in both single liver and cross-liver quality evaluations. These analytical methods also determine that the selected significant infrared image features indicate regional difference in viability and show that more stringent pre-implantation evaluation may be needed to predict transplant outcomes.

Keywords: Infrared image; Liver quality evaluation; Liver transplantation; Logistic regression; Multi-task learning; Principal component analysis.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / statistics & numerical data
  • Infrared Rays
  • Liver / diagnostic imaging*
  • Liver Transplantation* / standards
  • Logistic Models
  • Models, Animal
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Swine
  • Thermography / methods*
  • Thermography / statistics & numerical data