DETECTION OF GRANULATION TISSUE FOR HEALING ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ULCERS

Wounds that fail to heal within an expected period develop into ulcers that cause
severe pain and expose patients to limb amputation. Ulcer appearance changes
gradually as ulcer tissues evolve throughout the healing process. Dermatologists
assess the progression of ulcer healing based on visual inspection of ulcer tissues,
which is inconsistent and subjective. The ability to measure objectively early stages
of ulcer healing is important to improve clinical decisions and enhance the
effectiveness of the treatment. Ulcer healing is indicated by the growth of granulation
tissue that contains pigment haemoglobin that causes the red colour of the tissue. An
approach based on utilising haemoglobin content as an image marker to detect regions
of granulation tissue on ulcers surface using colour images of chronic ulcers is
investigated in this study. The approach is utilised to develop a system that is able to
detect regions of granulation tissue on ulcers surface using colour images of chronic
ulcers.