Achieving Faster and Smarter Chest X-Ray Classification With Optimized CNNs

X-ray imaging is essential in medical diagnostics, particularly for identifying anomalies like respiratory diseases. However, building accurate and efficient deep learning models for X-ray image classification remains challenging, requiring both optimized architectures and low computational complexity. In this paper, we present a three-stage framework to enhance X-ray image classification using Neural Architecture Search (NAS), Transfer Learning, and Model Compression via filter pruning, specifically targeting the ChestX-Ray14 dataset. First, NAS is employed to automatically discover the optimal convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture tailored to the ChestX-Ray14 dataset, reducing the need for extensive manual tuning. Subsequently, we leverage transfer learning by incorporating pre-trained models, which enhances the model’s generalizability and reduces dependency on large volumes of labeled X-ray data. Finally, model compression through filter pruning, driven by evolutionary algorithms, trims redundant parameters to improve computational efficiency while preserving model accuracy. Experimental results demonstrate that this approach not only boosts classification accuracy on the ChestX-Ray14 dataset but also significantly reduces model size, making it suitable for deployment in resource-constrained environments, such as mobile and edge devices. This framework provides a practical, scalable solution to improve both the accuracy and efficiency of medical image classification.