Automated Hematological Analysis:Advances in Segmentation Approaches and Future Directions
Saleha Eram, Muhammad Usman Akram, Maham Nayab · 2024
Hematological analysis is crucial for diagnosing blood disorders such as leukemia and anemia, a process that has traditionally depended on manual microscopy, and is susceptible to variability and human error. The quest for more reliable and efficient diagnostic methods has led to the development of automated systems. This review examines the methods used for automated blood cell segmentation, with a particular emphasis on deep learning approaches such as semantic and instance segmentation. Advanced models like Mask R-CNN and DeepLabv3+ were evaluated for their effectiveness in accurately segmenting and identifying blood components in complex histological images. The findings revealed that Mask R-CNN achieved a segmentation accuracy of 92%, while DeepLabv3+ came in close behind at 94.5%. Both models significantly surpassed traditional methods, which generally provide accuracy rates of 75–80 %. Despite these advancements, the review highlights ongoing challenges related to the robustness and scalability of these techniques in clinical settings. The paper concludes by emphasizing the transformative potential of deep learning in hematological diagnostics and calls for further research to address current limitations and improve patient outcomes.