Sobel Edge Detection Method to Identify and Quantify the Risk Factors for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Thepurpose of this studyis toidentify andquantify theneurovascular riskfactors for foot problems inpatients with diabetes mellitus, which is amajor public health concern these days.Themost feared factoramong the diabeticpatients is lower extremityamputation.Thesequence of events leading to amputation isinitiatedby ulcerationcombined with sensation loss.To prevent complications and amputations it isnecessaryto detect the foot at risk of plantar ulceration atan early stage of sensation loss.Doctors useimaging test to determine whether the plantar ulceration has spread to upper areas in the leg, andtoevaluate the size and location of the ulcer.To locate the ulceration area and assess the severity,doctor’susesanimaging technology, such as ultrasound, fluoroscopy, a computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan,x-ray, or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test, this procedure is called asan image-guided biopsy.Toaccess the severity of foot ulcer,a new method isintroduced,whichisa popular edge detectionmethod.This method is known asSobel method, whichuses edge detection function for derivativeapproximation tofind edges. TheSobel edge methodreturns edges at those points where the gradient ofthe consideredimage is maximum,so the recognition of risk factors will be analyzed in efficient manner. Based on theseverity of foot ulcer, preventivefoot maintenance and regular foot examinations will take place in diabetespatients