Deep learning-based framework for the distinction of membranous nephropathy: a new approach through hyperspectral imagery

Background: Common subtypes seen in Chinese patients with membranous nephropathy (MN) include idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) and hepatitis B virus-related membranous nephropathy (HBV-MN). However, the morphologic differences are not visible under the light microscope in certain renal biopsy tissues. Methods: We propose here a deep learning-based framework for processing hyperspectral images of renal biopsy tissue to define the difference between IMN and HBV-MN based on the component of their immune complex deposition. Results: The proposed framework can achieve an overall accuracy of 95.04% in classification, which also leads to better performance than support vector machine (SVM)-based algorithms. Conclusion: IMN and HBV-MN can be correctly separated via the deep learning framework using hyperspectral imagery. Our results suggest the potential of the deep learning algorithm as a new method to aid in the diagnosis of MN.