The Establishment of Tongue Examination Analysis From the Video Recording

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctors use tongue examination to investigate the distribution of qi and blood in the human body and the changes in cold and heat, deficiency and excess. This is a characteristic diagnosis of Chinese medicine and is rich in important clinical diagnostic information. In recent years, tongue examination through computer image analysis has been a fairly mature technology, but its application still has many limitations. A proper tongue examination image capture must be performed by a well-training staff, and errors caused by the operator cannot be avoided. These restrictions are not conducive to the popularization of tongue examination applications. This project intends to record the process of tongue extension through a dynamic video, and establish the tongue examination analysis from the video recording.

In this study, it is estimated that 300 subjects will be admitted to the China Medical University and its cooperative medical facilities. The general public will be invited for examinations, and high-quality tongue examination videos will be recorded by digital cameras. After the tongue examination video is properly calibrated, the computer analyzes the tongue examination parameters of each frame and the dynamic parameters, thereby establishing the automatic tongue video analysis system.

This study is different from recording the tongue with photos in the past, but uses dynamic movies to record the tongue extension process, avoiding the influence of external light source and tongue placement, seeking the best timing for tongue diagnosis, and it is expected to produce automatic dynamic video tongue examination analysis, as an innovative analysis model of TCM tongue examination. Results are expected to reduce operating errors and promote the popularization of automated tongue examination analysis. In the future, it may be applied to mobile phones or wearable devices to improve the practicality of TCM tongue examination in telemedicine and the personalized medicine.