ABSTRACT
The main indication for capsule endoscopy is obscure digestive bleeding (Cui et al. 2010, Li and Q.H-Meng 2009, Pan et al. 2011, Penna et al. 2009, Gupta and Reddy 2007, Figueiredo et al. 2013). In fact, in most of these cases, the source of the bleeding is located in the small bowel. However, often, these bleeding regions are not imaged by the capsule endoscopy. This is why the blood detection is so important when we are dealing with capsule endoscopy. In this work we propose an automatic blood detection algorithm for CE images. Utilizing Ohta color channel (R+G+B)/3 (where R, G and
1 INTRODUCTION
Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE), also called capsule endoscopy (CE), is a noninvasive endoscopic procedure which allows visualization of the small intestine, without sedation or anesthesia, which is difficult to reach by conventional endoscopies. As the name implies, capsule endoscopy makes use of a swallowable capsule that contains a miniature video camera, a light source, batteries, and a radio transmitter. This takes continual images during its passage down the small intestine. The images are transmitted to a recorder that is worn on a belt around the patients waist. The whole procedure lasts 8 hours, after which the data recorder is removed and the images are stored on a computer so that physicians can review the images and analyze the potential source of diseases. Capsule endoscopy is useful for detecting small intestine bleeding, polyps, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease), ulcers, and tumors of the small intestine. It was first invented by Given Imaging in 2000 (Idan et al. 2000). Since its approval by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) in 2001, it has been widely used in hospitals.
