Assessment of bilirubin levels in patients with cirrhosis via forehead, sclera and lower eyelid smartphone images

Abstract

One of the key biomarkers evaluating liver disease progression is an elevated bilirubin level. Here we apply smartphone imaging to non-invasive assessment of bilirubin in patients with cirrhosis. Image data was processed using two different approaches to remove variation introduced by ambient conditions and different imaging devices—a per-image calibration using a color chart in each image, and a two-step process using pairs of flash/ no-flash images to account for ambient light in combination with a one-time calibration. For the first time, results from the forehead, sclera (white of the eye) and lower eyelid were compared. The correlation coefficients between the total serum bilirubin and the predicted bilirubin via the forehead, sclera and lower eyelid were 0.79, 0.89 and 0.86 (all with p<0.001, n = 66), respectively. Given the simpler image capture for the sclera, the recommended imaging site for this patient cohort is the sclera.