Cardiotocogram (CTG) waveform analysis using image processing technique
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Date
2019-06
Authors
Samson Chan Kit Hwa
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Abstract
Cardiotocography (CTG) is one of the common tools used to monitor on mother and fetus. CTG displays the continuous reading of fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contractions (UC) in graphical form. Fluctuations in FHR patterns relative to contractions provide an induction of fetal’s health condition. The common parameters used to analysis the signals are baseline, variability, accelerations and decelerations of FHR. By using these parameters, the overall impression of the signal graph can be analysed. FHR patterns are observed manually by obstetricians during the process of cardiotocographs analyses. Fail to analysis an abnormal condition might lead to serious problem to mother or fetus. Therefore, an image processing and computer programming for CTG waveform analysis is a solution for monitoring of the fetal heart rate and uterine contractions. Clinicians or midwives can use this software to help them in analysing the CTG graph as a guidance. In this project, CTG Reader is developed using MATLAB programming. MATLAB programming can create Graphical User Interface (GUI) to help users in using the software more efficiently. Image processing technique is used to extract the data from an image file of CTG printout to useful digital signal. Few algorithms are set in this program to analysis the signal graph of FHR and UC. Due to limited resource of related research to the topic, investigations are applied in this research to find better solution for algorithms in CTG tracings It is found that method 1 takes average 0.02786 seconds and method 2 takes average 0.01175 seconds to run the process. The code length of method 1 in analysing accelerations and decelerations are 10 rows and method 2 only require 4 and 2 rows. The accuracy of both methods is similar. Hence, it is concluded that method 2 with built-in function is a better solution.