Research Article

SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-ray Images

Volume: 15 Number: 3 September 30, 2026
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SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-ray Images

Abstract

Tuberculosis and pneumonia are major causes of respiratory mortality worldwide, requiring accurate and timely diagnosis. This study proposes SE-ResNet18, an attention-enhanced deep learning model for multi-class classification of chest X-ray images into Normal, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, and Unknown categories. The model integrates Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) blocks into the ResNet18 architecture to improve channel-wise feature representation. A dataset of 15,316 chest radiographs was used, split into training (13,028), validation (761), and testing (1,527) sets. Transfer learning was applied using ImageNet-pretrained weights, followed by fine-tuning for 10 epochs with the Adam optimizer (learning rate: 1×10⁻⁵). To enhance generalization, limited data augmentation (horizontal flipping and ±5° rotation) was applied only to the training set. Dropout (p = 0.4) was used in the classification head to reduce overfitting. The proposed model achieved 98.03% accuracy and a macro F1-score of 0.97 on the test set, indicating balanced performance across classes. Class-wise results were: Unknown (1.00 precision, recall, F1-score), Tuberculosis (0.95 precision, 0.99 recall, 0.97 F1-score), Pneumonia (0.98 precision, 0.96 recall, 0.97 F1-score), and Normal (0.96 precision, 0.95 recall, 0.95 F1-score). No misclassification occurred between Pneumonia and Tuberculosis. Confidence analysis showed well-calibrated predictions, with higher confidence for correct predictions (0.947) than errors (0.823), enabling identification of uncertain cases for expert review.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Radiobiology

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

September 30, 2026

Submission Date

April 10, 2026

Acceptance Date

July 24, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 15 Number: 3

APA
Alkakjea, H. A. M., & Özbay, E. (2026). SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-ray Images. Turkish Journal of Nature and Science, 15(3), 109-124. https://doi.org/10.46810/tdfd.1927529
AMA
1.Alkakjea HAM, Özbay E. SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-ray Images. TJNS. 2026;15(3):109-124. doi:10.46810/tdfd.1927529
Chicago
Alkakjea, Hind Ayad Majeed, and Erdal Özbay. 2026. “SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-Ray Images”. Turkish Journal of Nature and Science 15 (3): 109-24. https://doi.org/10.46810/tdfd.1927529.
EndNote
Alkakjea HAM, Özbay E (September 1, 2026) SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-ray Images. Turkish Journal of Nature and Science 15 3 109–124.
IEEE
[1]H. A. M. Alkakjea and E. Özbay, “SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-ray Images”, TJNS, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 109–124, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.46810/tdfd.1927529.
ISNAD
Alkakjea, Hind Ayad Majeed - Özbay, Erdal. “SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-Ray Images”. Turkish Journal of Nature and Science 15/3 (September 1, 2026): 109-124. https://doi.org/10.46810/tdfd.1927529.
JAMA
1.Alkakjea HAM, Özbay E. SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-ray Images. TJNS. 2026;15:109–124.
MLA
Alkakjea, Hind Ayad Majeed, and Erdal Özbay. “SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-Ray Images”. Turkish Journal of Nature and Science, vol. 15, no. 3, Sept. 2026, pp. 109-24, doi:10.46810/tdfd.1927529.
Vancouver
1.Hind Ayad Majeed Alkakjea, Erdal Özbay. SE-ResNet18: Attention-Enhanced Deep Learning for Multi-Class Classification of Tuberculosis and Pneumonia from Chest X-ray Images. TJNS. 2026 Sep. 1;15(3):109-24. doi:10.46810/tdfd.1927529