Constitution identification model in traditional Chinese medicine based on multiple features

Abstract

Objective

To construct a precise model for identifying traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutions, thereby offering optimized guidance for clinical diagnosis and treatment planning, and ultimately enhancing medical efficiency and treatment outcomes.

Methods

First, TCM full-body inspection data acquisition equipment was employed to collect full-body standing images of healthy people, from which the constitutions were labelled and defined in accordance with the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ), and a dataset encompassing labelled constitutions was constructed. Second, heat-suppression valve (HSV) color space and improved local binary patterns (LBP) algorithm were leveraged for the extraction of features such as facial complexion and body shape. In addition, a dual-branch deep network was employed to collect deep features from the full-body standing images. Last, the random forest (RF) algorithm was utilized to learn the extracted multifeatures, which were subsequently employed to establish a TCM constitution identification model. Accuracy, precision, and F1 score were the three measures selected to assess the performance of the model.

Results

It was found that the accuracy, precision, and F1 score of the proposed model based on multifeatures for identifying TCM constitutions were 0.842, 0.868, and 0.790, respectively. In comparison with the identification models that encompass a single feature, either a single facial complexion feature, a body shape feature, or deep features, the accuracy of the model that incorporating all the aforementioned features was elevated by 0.105, 0.105, and 0.079, the precision increased by 0.164, 0.164, and 0.211, and the F1 score rose by 0.071, 0.071, and 0.084, respectively.

Conclusion

The research findings affirmed the viability of the proposed model, which incorporated multifeatures, including the facial complexion feature, the body shape feature, and the deep feature. In addition, by employing the proposed model, the objectification and intelligence of identifying constitutions in TCM practices could be optimized.