计算机辅助检查系统使得乳房MRI扫描更加有效

根据一项最新研究发现：一种计算机辅助检查（CAD）系统帮助放射科医生能够更加快速有效地确定核磁共振检查发现的肿瘤位置和大小，这将能够改善患者的治疗。

这项研究是在西班牙Clinica Girona进行的，对比了CAD系统与标准MRI乳房成像软件。36例确诊为乳腺癌的患者在该项研究中，接受了使用标准软件与CAD系统的MRI扫描检查。

MRI扫描中使用的CAD系统，允许放射科医生能够更加有效地确定肿瘤体积。根据Joan C. Vilanova医生的说法：体积大小与在显微镜下观察到的更加接近，他是Clinica Girona核磁共振科主任，该项研究的首席作者。Vilanova医生说：“在83％的病例中，CAD系统最终[后处理的]的影像质量比标准软件的质量要好。”除此之外，放射科医生只需要12分钟来研究与解释CAD系统的扫描结果，而标准MRI软件影像则需要19分钟。Vilanova医生说，一次乳房MRI研究每次检查获得超过1000帧影像。

在10例患者中两套系统都发现了额外的肿瘤，其中8例在进行MRI检查之前原计划进行乳房肿瘤切除术。然后他们的治疗改为乳房切除术。Vilanova医生解释说：“如果没有进行MRI检查，癌症组织将会被留在乳房之中。CAD系统帮助我们和临床医生在评判乳房MRI结果的时候更加自信。实际上，乳房MRI检查在过去的9个月之中已经增加了50％。”

Dr. Vilanova presented the results of the study at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society in May 2005 in New Orleans (LA, USA).
Vilanova医生在2005年新奥尔良5月举行的美国伦琴射线学会年会上，报道了他的研究结果。
 
CAD Makes Breast MRI More Effective
 
A computer-aided detection (CAD) system is helping radiologists to more rapidly and effectively determine the location and size of tumors discovered on breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, which could change a patient’s treatment, according to a new study.

The study was performed at Clinica Girona (Spain) and compared the CAD system to breast imaging software that comes standard with MRI units. Thirty-six patients with diagnosed breast cancer in the study underwent an MRI scan using the standard software and the CAD system.

The CAD system used with the MRI scanning allowed radiologists to more effectively determine the size of the tumors. The size correlated more closely to what was seen under the microscope, according to Joan C. Vilanova, M.D., director of the department of magnetic resonance at Clinica Girona and lead author of the study. “The quality of the final [postprocessed] CAD system images was better than the standard software images in 83% of the cases,” said Dr. Vilanova. In addition, it took radiologists an average of 12 minutes to study and interpret the CAD system images compared to 19 minutes for the standard MRI software images. A breast MRI study generates more than 1,000 images per examination, according to Dr. Vilanova.

Both systems found additional tumors in 10 patients, eight of whom were scheduled to under a lumpectomy before the MRI scan was performed. Their treatment was then changed to a mastectomy. “Cancerous lesions would have been left within the breast if breast MRI had not been performed,” Dr. Vilanova said. “The CAD system has allowed us and our clinicians to have more confidence in our ability to evaluate breast MRI. In fact, the number of breast MRI examinations has increased by 50% in the last nine months.”

Dr. Vilanova presented the results of the study at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society in May 2005 in New Orleans (LA, USA).