{"title":"Enhanced U-Net with Attention Mechanisms for Improved Feature Representation in Lung Nodule Segmentation.","authors":"Thin Myat Moe Aung, Arfat Ahmad Khan","doi":"10.2174/0115734056386382250902064757","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Accurate segmentation of small and irregular pulmonary nodules remains a significant challenge in lung cancer diagnosis, particularly in complex imaging backgrounds. Traditional U-Net models often struggle to capture long-range dependencies and integrate multi-scale features, limiting their effectiveness in addressing these challenges. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes an enhanced U-Net hybrid model that integrates multiple attention mechanisms to enhance feature representation and improve the precision of segmentation outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The assessment of the proposed model was conducted using the LUNA16 dataset, which contains annotated CT scans of pulmonary nodules. Multiple attention mechanisms, including Spatial Attention (SA), Dilated Efficient Channel Attention (Dilated ECA), Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM), and Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) Block, were integrated into a U-Net backbone. These modules were strategically combined to enhance both local and global feature representations. The model's architecture and training procedures were designed to address the challenges of segmenting small and irregular pulmonary nodules.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The proposed model achieved a Dice similarity coefficient of 84.30%, significantly outperforming the baseline U-Net model. This result demonstrates improved accuracy in segmenting small and irregular pulmonary nodules.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The integration of multiple attention mechanisms significantly enhances the model's ability to capture both local and global features, addressing key limitations of traditional U-Net architectures. SA preserves spatial features for small nodules, while Dilated ECA captures long-range dependencies. CBAM and SE further refine feature representations. Together, these modules improve segmentation performance in complex imaging backgrounds. A potential limitation is that performance may still be constrained in cases with extreme anatomical variability or lowcontrast lesions, suggesting directions for future research.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The Enhanced U-Net hybrid model outperforms the traditional U-Net, effectively addressing challenges in segmenting small and irregular pulmonary nodules within complex imaging backgrounds.</p>","PeriodicalId":54215,"journal":{"name":"Current Medical Imaging Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current Medical Imaging Reviews","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2174/0115734056386382250902064757","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"RADIOLOGY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MEDICAL IMAGING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Accurate segmentation of small and irregular pulmonary nodules remains a significant challenge in lung cancer diagnosis, particularly in complex imaging backgrounds. Traditional U-Net models often struggle to capture long-range dependencies and integrate multi-scale features, limiting their effectiveness in addressing these challenges. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes an enhanced U-Net hybrid model that integrates multiple attention mechanisms to enhance feature representation and improve the precision of segmentation outcomes.
Methods: The assessment of the proposed model was conducted using the LUNA16 dataset, which contains annotated CT scans of pulmonary nodules. Multiple attention mechanisms, including Spatial Attention (SA), Dilated Efficient Channel Attention (Dilated ECA), Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM), and Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) Block, were integrated into a U-Net backbone. These modules were strategically combined to enhance both local and global feature representations. The model's architecture and training procedures were designed to address the challenges of segmenting small and irregular pulmonary nodules.
Results: The proposed model achieved a Dice similarity coefficient of 84.30%, significantly outperforming the baseline U-Net model. This result demonstrates improved accuracy in segmenting small and irregular pulmonary nodules.
Discussion: The integration of multiple attention mechanisms significantly enhances the model's ability to capture both local and global features, addressing key limitations of traditional U-Net architectures. SA preserves spatial features for small nodules, while Dilated ECA captures long-range dependencies. CBAM and SE further refine feature representations. Together, these modules improve segmentation performance in complex imaging backgrounds. A potential limitation is that performance may still be constrained in cases with extreme anatomical variability or lowcontrast lesions, suggesting directions for future research.
Conclusion: The Enhanced U-Net hybrid model outperforms the traditional U-Net, effectively addressing challenges in segmenting small and irregular pulmonary nodules within complex imaging backgrounds.
期刊介绍:
Current Medical Imaging Reviews publishes frontier review articles, original research articles, drug clinical trial studies and guest edited thematic issues on all the latest advances on medical imaging dedicated to clinical research. All relevant areas are covered by the journal, including advances in the diagnosis, instrumentation and therapeutic applications related to all modern medical imaging techniques.
The journal is essential reading for all clinicians and researchers involved in medical imaging and diagnosis.