Developing a Computer based Information System to Improve the Diagnosis of Blood Anemia-Part I

This paper presents Design and implementation of a computer based information system by utilizing a developed methodology. This methodology includes a set of procedures and processes to analyse blood smear images (image reading, pre-processing, feature extraction, RBCs classification, results and diagnosis). Essentially an efficient method using the image processing technique (image enhancement, segmentation and feature extraction) has been constructed which can be used to analyse blood smear images taken by photomicroscope. Usually blood smear images contain red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. In this work the method isolates and determines the type of all red blood cells in the smear which could be either normal or abnormal. Taking into consideration that abnormal red blood cells indicate to the associated blood anaemia. Focus is directed to the process of classifying types of abnormal cells. The system counts the overall red blood cells and calculates percentage of different types of counted abnormal cells (macrocyte, target cell, howel-jolley body, sickle cell, elliptocyte, tear drop, spherocyte, stomatocyte and nucleated RBCs). The existence of different abnormal types and the related percentages indicates the type of anemia.