Expert recommendations on data collection and annotation of two dimensional ultrasound images in azoospermic males for evaluation of testicular spermatogenic function in intelligent medicine

Abstract

Testicular two-dimensional ultrasound is a testing modality that is often used to evaluate azoospermia and other related diseases. With the continuous development of deep learning in recent years, the combination of deep learning and testicular ultrasound appears unstoppable despite a lack of relevant standards. One of the major problems associated with the digitization of ultrasound images is the uneven quality of data however, and a standardized data source and acquisition process has not yet been developed. Such a standard could fill the current gap, and establish acquisition criteria for ultrasound images of testes during the male reproductive period, including grayscale ultrasound, shear wave elastography, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound. By following these guidelines the quality of testicular ultrasound images would be improved and standardized, which would lay a solid foundation for the standardization of testicular ultrasound images, and assist automated evaluation of testicular spermatogenic function of whole testis in azoospermic males.