Retinal vascular segmentation network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement

Abstract Retinal vessel segmentation is crucial for diagnosing ocular diseases, but current methods struggle with fine vessels and complex structures. This paper proposes a full-resolution network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement (TED-SCNet) to improve the accuracy and robustness of ret...

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Main Authors: Yunfeng Ni, Pei Wang, Wei Chen, Jie Qi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Journal of King Saud University: Computer and Information Sciences
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s44443-025-00191-3
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author Yunfeng Ni
Pei Wang
Wei Chen
Jie Qi
author_facet Yunfeng Ni
Pei Wang
Wei Chen
Jie Qi
author_sort Yunfeng Ni
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Retinal vessel segmentation is crucial for diagnosing ocular diseases, but current methods struggle with fine vessels and complex structures. This paper proposes a full-resolution network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement (TED-SCNet) to improve the accuracy and robustness of retinal blood vessel segmentation. Initially, a dual-scale shape enhancement module was designed and integrated into the segmentation network to achieve end-to-end contrast enhancement, highlighting fine vascular structures. Subsequently, a feature aggregation module based on dynamic snake-shaped convolutions is introduced, which adapts convolution paths to achieve the fusion of features at different levels. Following this, a deep semantic enhancement module is devised to maximize the enhancement of semantic information. Finally, an over-segmentation-guided classification network is constructed to reduce the misclassification of avascular pixels. This study employs a combination of binary cross-entropy and structural similarity loss functions to accurately generate binary segmentation results. In the DRIVE, CHASE_DB1, and STARE datasets, TED-SCNet achieves AUCs of 98.90%, 99.02%, and 99.16%, respectively, outperforming traditional methods by 0.66%, 0.21%, and 0.32%. The F1 scores for the respective categories are 84.3%, 80.49%, and 84.45%, revealing a considerable progression in the fine vessel segmentation process. The combined loss function enhances the Dice similarity coefficient of thin tubular structures by a margin of 1.23%. In essence, TED-SCNet demonstrates high precision and robustness in retinal vessel segmentation, particularly excelling in fine vessel and complex structure segmentation while maintaining thin tubular structure connectivity.
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spelling doaj-art-ee6e2a009ed04ee9a1f9adc9b4ef2d832025-08-24T11:53:31ZengElsevierJournal of King Saud University: Computer and Information Sciences1319-15782213-12482025-08-0137711610.1007/s44443-025-00191-3Retinal vascular segmentation network based on dual-scale morphological enhancementYunfeng Ni0Pei Wang1Wei Chen2Jie Qi3School of Communication and Information Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and TechnologySchool of Communication and Information Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and TechnologySchool of Communication and Information Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and TechnologyOrthopedic Department, Shaanxi Provincial People’s HospitalAbstract Retinal vessel segmentation is crucial for diagnosing ocular diseases, but current methods struggle with fine vessels and complex structures. This paper proposes a full-resolution network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement (TED-SCNet) to improve the accuracy and robustness of retinal blood vessel segmentation. Initially, a dual-scale shape enhancement module was designed and integrated into the segmentation network to achieve end-to-end contrast enhancement, highlighting fine vascular structures. Subsequently, a feature aggregation module based on dynamic snake-shaped convolutions is introduced, which adapts convolution paths to achieve the fusion of features at different levels. Following this, a deep semantic enhancement module is devised to maximize the enhancement of semantic information. Finally, an over-segmentation-guided classification network is constructed to reduce the misclassification of avascular pixels. This study employs a combination of binary cross-entropy and structural similarity loss functions to accurately generate binary segmentation results. In the DRIVE, CHASE_DB1, and STARE datasets, TED-SCNet achieves AUCs of 98.90%, 99.02%, and 99.16%, respectively, outperforming traditional methods by 0.66%, 0.21%, and 0.32%. The F1 scores for the respective categories are 84.3%, 80.49%, and 84.45%, revealing a considerable progression in the fine vessel segmentation process. The combined loss function enhances the Dice similarity coefficient of thin tubular structures by a margin of 1.23%. In essence, TED-SCNet demonstrates high precision and robustness in retinal vessel segmentation, particularly excelling in fine vessel and complex structure segmentation while maintaining thin tubular structure connectivity.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44443-025-00191-3Vessel segmentationDual-scale morphological enhancementOver-segmentation guided classificationVascular connectivity
spellingShingle Yunfeng Ni
Pei Wang
Wei Chen
Jie Qi
Retinal vascular segmentation network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement
Journal of King Saud University: Computer and Information Sciences
Vessel segmentation
Dual-scale morphological enhancement
Over-segmentation guided classification
Vascular connectivity
title Retinal vascular segmentation network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement
title_full Retinal vascular segmentation network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement
title_fullStr Retinal vascular segmentation network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement
title_full_unstemmed Retinal vascular segmentation network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement
title_short Retinal vascular segmentation network based on dual-scale morphological enhancement
title_sort retinal vascular segmentation network based on dual scale morphological enhancement
topic Vessel segmentation
Dual-scale morphological enhancement
Over-segmentation guided classification
Vascular connectivity
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s44443-025-00191-3
work_keys_str_mv AT yunfengni retinalvascularsegmentationnetworkbasedondualscalemorphologicalenhancement
AT peiwang retinalvascularsegmentationnetworkbasedondualscalemorphologicalenhancement
AT weichen retinalvascularsegmentationnetworkbasedondualscalemorphologicalenhancement
AT jieqi retinalvascularsegmentationnetworkbasedondualscalemorphologicalenhancement