A Novel AI-based Hybrid Ensemble Segmentation CAD System for Lumber Spine Stenosis pathological Regions Using MRI Axial Images

Abstract

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS) is a condition where the spinal canal in the lower back becomes narrower, resulting in pressure on the spinal cord and nearby nerves. To predict LSS, neurologists focus on four key regions in MRI axial scans: the Intervertebral Disc (IVD), Thecal Sac (TS), Posterior Element (PE), and the Area between the Anterior and Posterior (AAP) vertebrae. To delineate these regions, we present a novel hybrid ensemble deep learning CAD system for multi-class segmentation, encompassing data collection, preprocessing, automated hyperparameter optimization and selection, segmentation ensemble learning, and both qualitative and quantitative performance evaluation. The core of the proposed pipeline features two ensemble phases: (1) ensemble learning through feature space fusion of three distinct AI models (SwinUNETR, Attention Unet, and UNet++), and (2) ensemble learning via a stacking method of the feature maps outputs from the same AI models used in phase 1. The Mendeley benchmark dataset is employed to train and assess both CAD systems, while a private dataset from Firat University Hospital in Turkey is used for verification and validation. The best achieved results via FFA's mean dice score is 93.1% and mean IoU is 87.76%. showing the usefulness of using ensemble methods to capture different features from the trained models. © 2024 IEEE.