Computer-aided medical diagnosis: Literature review

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Abstract

The difficulty of the medical diagnostic task and the advantages of the computer as an aid in this task are discussed. The general strategy and structure of any computer-aided system is presented, and the relationship of diagnostic accuracy to key variables involved in the development, test and use of a computer-aided diagnostic system is examined. These variables include: the computer algorithm, the source of the information used to develop the data base, the number and type of diseases under investigation, the number and type of indicants used, the source of the test sample, and the source of the validated diagnosis. A table of 58 empirically tested computer-aided medical diagnostic systems is presented; each system is summarised in relation to the variables mentioned above and diagnostic accuracy.

Résumé

On discute de la difficulté du travail de diagnostic médical et des avantages de l'ordinateur en tant qu'auxilliaire. On décrit la stratégie générale et la structure de tout système à ordinateur auxilliaire puis on examine la relation entre la précision du diagnostic, les variables fondamentales impliquées dans la conception, l'essai et l'utilisation d'un système à ordinateur auxilliaire. Ces variables comprennent: les algorithmes de calcul, la source d'information utilisée pour construire la base de données, le nombre et le type des maladies étudiées, le nombre et le type des indicateurs, la source de l'échantillon d'essai et celle des diagnostics confirmés. On présente un tableau de 58 systèmes de diagnostic médical à ordinateur auxilliaire; on décrit rapidement chaque système en tenant compte des variables signalées plus haut et de la précision du diagnostic.

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