Topic highlight on texture and color enhancement imaging in gastrointestinal diseases

Olympus Corporation developed texture and color enhancement imaging(TXI)as a novel image-enhancing endoscopic technique.This topic highlights a series of hot-topic articles that investigated the efficacy of TXI for gastrointestinal disease identification in the clinical setting.A randomized controlled trial demonstrated improvements in the colorectal adenoma detection rate(ADR)and the mean number of adenomas per procedure(MAP)of TXI compared with those of white-light imaging(WLI)observation(58.7%vs 42.7%,adjusted relative risk 1.35,95%CI:1.17-1.56;1.36 vs 0.89,adjusted incident risk ratio 1.48,95%CI:1.22-1.80,respectively).A cross-over study also showed that the colorectal MAP and ADR in TXI were higher than those in WLI(1.5 vs 1.0,adjusted odds ratio 1.4,95%CI:1.2-1.6;58.2%vs 46.8%,1.5,1.0-2.3,respectively).A randomized controlled trial demonstrated non-inferiority of TXI to narrow-band imaging in the colorectal mean number of adenomas and sessile serrated lesions per procedure(0.29 vs 0.30,difference for non-inferiority-0.01,95%CI:-0.10 to 0.08).A cohort study found that scoring for ulcerative colitis severity using TXI could predict relapse of ulcerative colitis.A cross-sectional study found that TXI improved the gastric cancer detection rate compared to WLI(0.71%vs 0.29%).A cross-sectional study revealed that the sensitivity and accuracy for active Helicobacter pylori gastritis in TXI were higher than those of WLI(69.2%vs 52.5%and 85.3%vs 78.7%,res-pectively).In conclusion,TXI can improve gastrointestinal lesion detection and qualitative diagnosis.Therefore,further studies on the efficacy of TXI in clinical practice are required.

Low and non-uniform illumination color image enhancement using weighted guided image filtering

In the state of the art,grayscale image enhancement algorithms are typically adopted for enhancement of RGB color images captured with low or non-uniform illumination.As these methods are applied to each RGB channel independently,imbalanced inter-channel enhancements(color distortion)can often be observed in the resulting images.On the other hand,images with non-uniform illumination enhanced by the retinex algorithm are prone to artifacts such as local blurring,halos,and over-enhancement.To address these problems,an improved RGB color image enhancement method is proposed for images captured under nonuniform illumination or in poor visibility,based on weighted guided image filtering(WGIF).Unlike the conventional retinex algorithm and its variants,WGIF uses a surround function instead of a Gaussian filter to estimate the illumination component;it avoids local blurring and halo artifacts due to its anisotropy and adaptive local regularization.To limit color distortion,RGB images are first converted to HSI(hue,saturation,intensity)color space,where only the intensity channel is enhanced,before being converted back to RGB space by a linear color restoration algorithm.Experimental results show that the proposed method is effective for both RGB color and grayscale images captured under low exposure and non-uniform illumination,with better visual quality and objective evaluation scores than from comparator algorithms.It is also efficient due to use of a linear color restoration algorithm.

Improved visibility of colorectal tumor by texture and color enhancement imaging with indigo carmine

BACKGROUND Accurate diagnosis and early resection of colorectal polyps are important to prevent the occurrence of colorectal cancer.However,technical factors and morphological factors of polyps itself can lead to missed diagnoses.Imageenhanced endoscopy and chromoendoscopy(CE)have been developed to facilitate an accurate diagnosis.There have been no reports on visibility using a combination of texture and color enhancement imaging(TXI)and CE for colorectal tumors.AIM To investigate the visibility of margins and surfaces with the combination of TXI and CE for colorectal lesions.METHODS This retrospective study included patients who underwent lower gastrointestinal endoscopy at the Toyoshima Endoscopy Clinic.We extracted polyps that were resected and diagnosed as adenomas or serrated polyps(hyperplastic polyps and sessile serrated lesions)from our endoscopic database.An expert endoscopist performed the lower gastrointestinal endoscopies and observed the lesion using white light imaging(WLI),TXI,CE,and TXI+CE modalities.Indigo carmine dye was used for CE.Three expert endoscopists rated the visibility of the margin and surface patterns in four ranks,from 1 to 4.The primary outcomes were the average visibility scores for the margin and surface patterns based on the WLI,TXI,CE,and TXI+CE observations.Visibility scores between the four modalities were compared by the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests.RESULTS A total of 48 patients with 81 polyps were assessed.The histological subtypes included 50 tubular adenomas,16 hyperplastic polyps,and 15 sessile serrated lesions.The visibility scores for the margins based on WLI,TXI,CE,and TXI+CE were 2.44±0.93,2.90±0.93,3.37±0.74,and 3.75±0.49,respectively.The visibility scores for the surface based on WLI,TXI,CE,and TXI+CE were 2.25±0.80,2.84±0.84,3.12±0.72,and 3.51±0.60,respectively.The visibility scores for the detection and surface on TXI were significantly lower than that on CE but higher than that on WLI(P<0.001).The visibility scores for the margin and surface on TXI+CE were significantly higher than those on CE(P<0.001).In the sub-analysis of adenomas,the visibility for the margin and surface on TXI+CE was significantly better than that on WLI,TXI,and CE(P<0.001).In the sub-analysis of serrated polyps,the visibility for the margin and surface on TXI+CE was also significantly better than that on WLI,TXI,and CE(P<0.001).CONCLUSION TXI+CE enhanced the visibility of the margin and surface compared to WLI,TXI,and CE for colorectal lesions.

Texture and color enhancement imaging in magnifying endoscopic evaluation of colorectal adenomas

BACKGROUND Olympus Corporation has developed texture and color enhancement imaging(TXI)as a novel image-enhancing endoscopic technique.AIM To investigate the effectiveness of TXI in identifying colorectal adenomas using magnifying observation.METHODS Colorectal adenomas were observed by magnified endoscopy using white light imaging(WLI),TXI,narrow band imaging(NBI),and chromoendoscopy(CE).This study adopted mode 1 of TXI.Adenomas were confirmed by histological examination.TXI visibility was compared with the visibility of WLI,NBI,and CE for tumor margin,and vessel and surface patterns of the Japan NBI expert team(JNET)classification.Three expert endoscopists and three non-expert endoscopists evaluated the visibility scores,which were classified as 1,2,3,and 4.RESULTS Sixty-one consecutive adenomas were evaluated.The visibility score for tumor margin of TXI(3.47±0.79)was significantly higher than that of WLI(2.86±1.02,P<0.001),but lower than that of NBI(3.76±0.52,P<0.001),regardless of the endoscopist’s expertise.TXI(3.05±0.79)had a higher visibility score for the vessel pattern of JNET classification than WLI(2.17±0.90,P<0.001)and CE(2.47±0.87,P<0.001),but lower visibility score than NBI(3.79±0.47,P<0.001),regardless of the experience of endoscopists.For the visibility score for the surface pattern of JNET classification,TXI(2.89±0.85)was superior to WLI(1.95±0.79,P<0.01)and CE(2.75±0.90,P=0.002),but inferior to NBI(3.67±0.55,P<0.001).CONCLUSION TXI provided higher visibility than WLI,lower than NBI,and comparable to or higher than CE in the magnified observation of colorectal adenomas.

Texture and color enhancement imaging for detecting colorectal adenomas: Good, but not good enough

Texture and color enhancement imaging(TXI)has been developed as a novel image-enhancing endoscopy.However,the effectiveness of TXI detecting adenomas is inferior to narrow band imaging.Thus,future studies will need to focus on investigating the feasibility of such combination in clinical settings in order to provide patients with more accurate diagnoses.

Precision in detecting colon lesions:A key to effective screening policy but will it improve overall outcomes?

Colonoscopy is the gold standard for the screening and diagnosis of colorectal cancer,resulting in a decrease in the incidence and mortality of colon cancer.However,it has a 21%rate of missed polyps.Several strategies have been devised to increase polyp detection rates and improve their characterization and delimi-tation.These include chromoendoscopy(CE),the use of other devices such as Endo cuffs,and major advances in endoscopic equipment[high definition,magnification,narrow band imaging,i-scan,flexible spectral imaging color enhancement,texture and color enhancement imaging(TXI),etc.].In the retrospective study by Hiramatsu et al,they compared white-light imaging with CE,TXI,and CE+TXI to determine which of these strategies allows for better definition and delimitation of polyps.They concluded that employing CE associated with TXI stands out as the most effective method to utilize.It remains to be demonstrated whether these results are extrapolatable to other types of virtual CE.Additionally,further investigation is needed in order to ascertain whether this strategy could lead to a reduction in the recurrence of excised lesions and potentially lower the occurrence of interval cancer.

Role of new endoscopic techniques in inflammatory bowel disease management: Has the change come?

Despite significant therapeutic progress in recent years,inflammatory bowel disease(IBD),which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis,remains a challenge regarding its pathogenesis and long-term complications.New concepts have emerged in the management of this disease,such as the"treat-totarget"concept,in which mucosal healing plays a key role in the evolution of IBD,the risk of recurrence and the need for surgery.Endoscopy is essential for the assessment of mucosal inflammation and plays a pivotal role in the analysis of mucosal healing in patients with IBD.Endoscopy is also essential in the detection of dysplasia and in the identification of the risk of colon cancer.The current surveillance strategy for dysplasia in IBD patients indicates white-light endoscopy with non-targeted biopsies.The new chromoendoscopy techniques provide substantial benefits for both clinicians and patients.Narrow-band imaging(NBI)has similar rates of dysplastic lesion detection as whitelight endoscopy,and it seems that NBI identifies more adenoma-like lesions.Because it is used instinctively by many endoscopists,the combination of these two techniques might improve the rate of dysplasia detection.Flexible spectral imaging color enhancement can help differentiate dysplastic and non-dysplastic lesions and can also predict the risk of recurrence,which allows us to modulate the treatment to gain better control of the disease.The combination of noninvasive serum and stool biomarkers with endoscopy will improve the monitoring and limit the evolution of IBD because it enables the use of a personalized approach to each patient based on that patient’s history and risk factors.

Virtual chromoendoscopy in small bowel capsule endoscopy: New light or a cast of shadow?

AIM: To evaluate whether virtual chromoendoscopy can improve the delineation of small bowel lesions previously detected by conventional white light small bowel capsule endoscopy(SBCE). METHODS: Retrospective single center study. One hundred lesions selected from forty-nine consecutive conventional white light SBCE(SBCE-WL) examinations were included. Lesions were reviewed at three Flexible Spectral Imaging Color Enhancement(FICE) settings and Blue Filter(BF) by two gastroenterologists with ex-perience in SBCE, blinded to each other's findings, whoranked the quality of delineation as better, equivalent or worse than conventional SBCE-WL. Inter-observer percentage of agreement was determined and analyzed with Fleiss Kappa(k) coefficient. Lesions selected for the study included angioectasias(n = 39), ulcers/ero-sions(n = 49) and villous edema/atrophy(n = 12). RESULTS: Overall, the delineation of lesions was im-proved in 77% of cases with FICE 1, 74% with FICE 2, 41% with FICE 3 and 39% with the BF, with a percent-age of agreement between investigators of 89%(k = 0.833), 85%(k = 0.764), 66%(k = 0.486) and 79%(k = 0.593), respectively. FICE 1 improved the delineation of 97.4% of angioectasias, 63.3% of ulcers/erosions and 66.7% of villous edema/atrophy with a percentage of agreement of 97.4%(k = 0.910), 81.6%(k = 0.714) and 91.7%(k = 0.815), respectively. FICE 2 improved the delineation of 97.4% of angioectasias, 57.1% of ulcers/erosions and 66.7% of villous edema/atrophy, with a percentage of agreement of 89.7%(k = 0.802), 79,6%(k = 0.703) and 91.7%(k = 0.815), respectively. FICE 3 improved the delineation of 46.2% of angioecta-sias, 24.5% of ulcers/erosions and none of the cases of villous edema/atrophy, with a percentage of agreement of 53.8% [k = not available(NA)], 75.5%(k = NA) and 66.7%(k = 0.304), respectively. The BF improved the delineation of 15.4% of angioectasias, 61.2% of ulcers/erosions and 25% of villous edema/atrophy, with a per-centage of agreement of 76.9%(k = 0.558), 81.6%(k = 0.570) and 25.0%(k = NA), respectively.CONCLUSION: Virtual chromoendoscopy can improve the delineation of angioectasias, ulcers/erosions and villous edema/atrophy detected by SBCE, with almost perfect interobserver agreement for FICE 1.