The Image Biomarker Standardization Initiative: Standardized Convolutional Filters for Reproducible Radiomics and Enhanced Clinical Insights

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Philip Whybra - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Alex Zwanenburg - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Vincent Andrearczyk - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Roger Schaer - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Aditya P Apte - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Alexandre Ayotte - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Bhakti Baheti - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Spyridon Bakas - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Andrea Bettinelli - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Ronald Boellaard - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Luca Boldrini - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Irène Buvat - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Gary J R Cook - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Florian Dietsche - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Nicola Dinapoli - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Hubert S Gabryś - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Vicky Goh - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Matthias Guckenberger - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Mathieu Hatt - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Mahdi Hosseinzadeh - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Aditi Iyer - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Jacopo Lenkowicz - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Mahdi A L Loutfi - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Steffen Löck - , OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology (Author)
  • Francesca Marturano - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Olivier Morin - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Christophe Nioche - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Fanny Orlhac - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Sarthak Pati - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Arman Rahmim - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Seyed Masoud Rezaeijo - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Christopher G Rookyard - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Mohammad R Salmanpour - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Andreas Schindele - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Isaac Shiri - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Emiliano Spezi - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Stephanie Tanadini-Lang - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Florent Tixier - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Taman Upadhaya - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Vincenzo Valentini - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Joost J M van Griethuysen - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Fereshteh Yousefirizi - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Habib Zaidi - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Henning Müller - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Martin Vallières - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • Adrien Depeursinge - , Cardiff University (Author)

Abstract

Filters are commonly used to enhance specific structures and patterns in images, such as vessels or peritumoral regions, to enable clinical insights beyond the visible image using radiomics. However, their lack of standardization restricts reproducibility and clinical translation of radiomics decision support tools. In this special report, teams of researchers who developed radiomics software participated in a three-phase study (September 2020 to December 2022) to establish a standardized set of filters. The first two phases focused on finding reference filtered images and reference feature values for commonly used convolutional filters: mean, Laplacian of Gaussian, Laws and Gabor kernels, separable and nonseparable wavelets (including decomposed forms), and Riesz transformations. In the first phase, 15 teams used digital phantoms to establish 33 reference filtered images of 36 filter configurations. In phase 2, 11 teams used a chest CT image to derive reference values for 323 of 396 features computed from filtered images using 22 filter and image processing configurations. Reference filtered images and feature values for Riesz transformations were not established. Reproducibility of standardized convolutional filters was validated on a public data set of multimodal imaging (CT, fluorodeoxyglucose PET, and T1-weighted MRI) in 51 patients with soft-tissue sarcoma. At validation, reproducibility of 486 features computed from filtered images using nine configurations × three imaging modalities was assessed using the lower bounds of 95% CIs of intraclass correlation coefficients. Out of 486 features, 458 were found to be reproducible across nine teams with lower bounds of 95% CIs of intraclass correlation coefficients greater than 0.75. In conclusion, eight filter types were standardized with reference filtered images and reference feature values for verifying and calibrating radiomics software packages. A web-based tool is available for compliance checking.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number231319
Pages (from-to)e231319
JournalRadiology
Volume310
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-7017-3738/work/153110462
Scopus 85186751738

Keywords

Keywords

  • Humans, Radiomics, Reproducibility of Results, Biomarkers, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Multimodal Imaging