Automated Tool for Diagnosis of Sinus Analysis CT Scans.

Diagnosis of Sinus condition is considered a difficult task in medical clinics due to the similar nature of the symptoms and the complexity of the images (e.g. plane of image, resolution) obtained using either CT-Scan. Discussions with consultant doctors and radiologists working in this area pointed at the need for a computer-based analysis and diagnosis tool that could be used as an aid to experts for diagnosing sinus diseases. There are a number of tools using traditional image processing techniques that are primarily useful for enhancing images. For an integrated system with potential diagnostic abilities artificial neural networks are good candidates that can combine image processing and diagnostic abilities in a single system. This paper presents the background and preliminary results in the development of an automated tool for the analysis and diagnosis of sinus conditions. The data used is in the form of CT scan images of sinus. Technology based on traditional image processing and Artificial Neural Networks (SOM) are explored for image processing and diagnosis. Anonymous CT-images of Sinuses were obtained from a local hospital. Preliminary results show that the proposed system has the potential to be a useful tool for clinicians in the areas of diagnosis and training of junior doctors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]