A review of non-invasive sensors and artificial intelligence models for diabetic foot monitoring

Abstract

Diabetic foot complications have multiple adverse effects in a person's quality of life. Yet, efficient monitoring schemes can mitigate or postpone any disorders, mainly by early detecting regions of interest. Nowadays, optical sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) tools can contribute efficiently to such monitoring processes. In this work, we provide information on the adopted imaging schemes and related optical sensors on this topic. The analysis considers both the physiology of the patients and the characteristics of the sensors. Currently, there are multiple approaches considering both visible and infrared bands (multiple ranges), most of them coupled with various AI tools. The source of the data (sensor type) can support different monitoring strategies and imposes restrictions on the AI tools that should be used with. This review provides a comprehensive literature review of AI-assisted DFU monitoring methods. The paper presents the outcomes of a large number of recently published scholarly articles. Furthermore, the paper discusses the highlights of these methods and the challenges for transferring these methods into a practical and trustworthy framework for sufficient remote management of the patients.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; diabetic foot; hyperspectral imaging; review; sensors.