Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Nov 27, 2023; 15(11): 2382-2397
Published online Nov 27, 2023. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v15.i11.2382
Recent advances in computerized imaging and its vital roles in liver disease diagnosis, preoperative planning, and interventional liver surgery: A review
Paramate Horkaew, Jirapa Chansangrat, Nattawut Keeratibharat, Doan Cong Le
Paramate Horkaew, School of Computer Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
Jirapa Chansangrat, School of Radiology, Institute of Medicine, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
Nattawut Keeratibharat, School of Surgery, Institute of Medicine, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
Doan Cong Le, Faculty of Information Technology, An Giang University, Vietnam National University (Ho Chi Minh City), An Giang 90000, Vietnam
Author contributions: Horkaew P analyzed the literature, discussed the studies, and wrote the paper; Chansangrat J, Keeratibharat N, and Le DC compiled the studies, drafted the review, and wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Paramate Horkaew, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Computer Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Suranaree, Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand. phorkaew@sut.ac.th
Received: June 26, 2023
Peer-review started: June 26, 2023
First decision: August 24, 2023
Revised: August 30, 2023
Accepted: September 27, 2023
Article in press: September 27, 2023
Published online: November 27, 2023
Processing time: 153 Days and 21.9 Hours
Abstract

The earliest and most accurate detection of the pathological manifestations of hepatic diseases ensures effective treatments and thus positive prognostic outcomes. In clinical settings, screening and determining the extent of a pathology are prominent factors in preparing remedial agents and administering appropriate therapeutic procedures. Moreover, in a patient undergoing liver resection, a realistic preoperative simulation of the subject-specific anatomy and physiology also plays a vital part in conducting initial assessments, making surgical decisions during the procedure, and anticipating postoperative results. Conventionally, various medical imaging modalities, e.g., computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography, have been employed to assist in these tasks. In fact, several standardized procedures, such as lesion detection and liver segmentation, are also incorporated into prominent commercial software packages. Thus far, most integrated software as a medical device typically involves tedious interactions from the physician, such as manual delineation and empirical adjustments, as per a given patient. With the rapid progress in digital health approaches, especially medical image analysis, a wide range of computer algorithms have been proposed to facilitate those procedures. They include pattern recognition of a liver, its periphery, and lesion, as well as pre- and postoperative simulations. Prior to clinical adoption, however, software must conform to regulatory requirements set by the governing agency, for instance, valid clinical association and analytical and clinical validation. Therefore, this paper provides a detailed account and discussion of the state-of-the-art methods for liver image analyses, visualization, and simulation in the literature. Emphasis is placed upon their concepts, algorithmic classifications, merits, limitations, clinical considerations, and future research trends.

Keywords: Computer aided diagnosis; Medical image analysis; Pattern recognition; Artificial intelligence; Surgical simulation; Liver surgery

Core Tip: Computerized imaging has a vital role in modern liver disease diagnosis and therapeutic intervention, including surgery. The scheme generally involves four elements, i.e., preprocessing, segmentation, modeling and simulation, and software development. This paper describes and discusses how this progressive multidisciplinary technology assists physicians, radiologists, and surgeons in carrying out their tasks effectively and efficiently, hence improving the posttherapeutic outcomes of patients diagnosed with liver diseases.