CAD系统帮助检测对比增强液体中的大肠息肉

根据一项最新研究，一种新型计算机辅助检查系统能够帮助放射科医生鉴别包含对比增强液体的大肠息肉。

美国国立研究院Ronald M.Summers医生是这篇文章的主要作者，他说：“据我所知，我们是最早报道CAD算法法则能够发现浸没在对比增强大肠液中的息肉；其它CAD算法法则还不能解决这个难题。”Summer博士说：选择这种检查方法的患者息肉被漏诊的机会较少，患者进展到大肠癌的风险相应减少。

这项研究发表在2005年1月的《美国X线学期刊》上，研究人员研究了17例至少有1个浸没在对比增强液体之下的确切的大肠息肉患者，总共有22个息肉。CAD系统能够检测出其中19个息肉。

Summers医生说：“这种CAD算法法则能够实际应用在大肠中充满气体的区域中，除了液体充斥的区域之外。因此被气体、液体或者二者混和包绕的息肉都能够被检测出来。”研究人员描述这种算法法则象海豚一样从大肠中的空气“跳跃”到大肠中的液体，然后在返回知道大肠所有的区域都被观察到为止。
 
CAD Finds Polyps in Contrast-Enhanced Fluid
 
A new computer-aided detection (CAD) system can assist radiologists in identifying polyps in colons that contain contrast-enhanced fluid, according to a new study.

“As far as I know, we are the first to publish a CAD algorithm to find polyps submerged in contrast-enhanced colonic fluid; other CAD algorithms do not yet deal with this problem,” said Ronald M. Summers, M.D., Ph.D., of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD, USA), and lead author of the article. The advantages to the patient of having such a method as an option is that fewer polyps will be missed and the patient’s risk of developing colorectal cancer will be reduced, according to Dr. Summer.

In the study, published in the January 2005 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology, the investigators studied 17 patients who each had at least one validated colon polyp that was immersed in contrast-enhanced fluid, for a total of 22 polyps. The CAD system was able to detect 19 of the polyps.

“The CAD algorithm can actually be used for the air-filled areas of the colon in addition to the fluid-filled portions, so that polyps surrounded by air, fluid, or both can also be detected,” stated Dr. Summers. The researchers describe the algorithm like a porpoise, that “jumps” from the air in the colon to fluid in the colon and back again until all regions of the colon are visualized.