CAD system screens for SARS

Deus Technologies has adapted its RapidScreen computer-aided detection system to find early signs of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Keying off its film-based CAD system for detecting lung lesions, Deus developed an automated method for identifying subtle initial SARS abnormalities that can be easily overlooked on chest x-rays.

SARS in its advanced state is similar in appearance to disseminated pneumonia, which is easy to spot, according to Deus CEO Dr. Michael Yeh. At onset, however, the disease is confined to focal areas, and differences between small white areas that fill with water and black air-filled spaces are less clear.

The RapidScreen system has been programmed to detect early SARS on the basis of data gathered from Hong Kong, one of the major sites of the epidemic. In preliminary testing, the SARS system had a sensitivity close to 90% and an average false positive rate per image of 1.2%.