A fast and fully automated system for segmenting retinal blood vessels in fundus images

Abstract The problem of segmenting retinal blood vessels in fundus images arises from the challenges of accurately detecting and delineating vessels due to their complex structures, varying sizes, and overlapping features. Manual segmentation is time-consuming and prone to human error, leading to inconsistent results. Additionally, existing automated methods often struggle with low-quality images or variations in illumination, hindering their effectiveness. Therefore, there is a pressing need for an efficient and accurate automated system to improve segmentation outcomes for better diagnosis of retinal diseases. This study proposes a fully automated model for blood vessel segmentation in retinal fundus images, addressing key challenges such as poor image quality, weak vessel detection, and inhomogeneity in contrast. Macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy are major causes of vision impairment, making accurate retinal analysis crucial. The proposed model enhances image quality through a novel pre-processing pipeline that includes logarithmic contrast enhancement, noise reduction using an improved complex wavelet transform with shrinkage, and anisotropic diffusion filtering for edge enhancement. The segmentation method combines morphological operations with an optimized Canny edge detector, effectively identifying and segmenting blood vessels. This approach aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of retinal image analysis, overcoming the limitations of manual segmentation and complex vascular structures. The results obtained from the DRIVE dataset achieved high values for accuracy (Acc, 99%), sensitivity (Sen, 95.83%), specificity (Spe, 98.62%), positive predictive value (PPV, 91.34%), and negative predictive value (NPV, 94%). In addition, the results obtained using the high-resolution fundus dataset were equally satisfactory, achieving an Acc., Sen., Spe., PPV, and NPV of 99.11, 97.97, 98.97, 97.98, and 100%, respectively. These results outperform the gold standard and state-of-the-art schemes to date. The proposed approach increases the performance and reliability of the process of vessel detection in fundus images.