Medical Image Data Provenance for Medical Cyber-Physical System

TL;DR

This paper introduces a watermarking-based framework for embedding device fingerprints into medical images to verify their authenticity and source, thereby enhancing data integrity in telemedicine and IoMT applications.

Contribution

It proposes a novel watermarking technique for medical image provenance and a remote validation method to authenticate images in healthcare systems.

Findings

Effective in ensuring image authenticity and source verification.

Maintains image quality while embedding device fingerprints.

Enhances security and trustworthiness in medical image data.

Abstract

Continuous advancements in medical technology have led to the creation of affordable mobile imaging devices suitable for telemedicine and remote monitoring. However, the rapid examination of large populations poses challenges, including the risk of fraudulent practices by healthcare professionals and social workers exchanging unverified images via mobile applications. To mitigate these risks, this study proposes using watermarking techniques to embed a device fingerprint (DFP) into captured images, ensuring data provenance. The DFP, representing the unique attributes of the capturing device and raw image, is embedded into raw images before storage, thus enabling verification of image authenticity and source. Moreover, a robust remote validation method is introduced to authenticate images, enhancing the integrity of medical image data in interconnected healthcare systems. Through a case study on mobile fundus imaging, the effectiveness of the proposed framework is evaluated in terms of computational efficiency, image quality, security, and trustworthiness. This approach is suitable for a range of applications, including telemedicine, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), eHealth, and Medical Cyber-Physical Systems (MCPS) applications, providing a reliable means to maintain data provenance in diagnostic settings utilizing medical images or videos.