Vimita Mohandas Jan 07, 2011
SINGAPORE - Screening for tuberculosis (TB) involves several time-consuming procedures. But researchers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of Engineering and SATA CommHealth have invented a faster method to detect the disease. Using a software programme, it will take just minutes as the texture of the lungs in X-rays is analysed.
Dr Rajendra Acharya, from Ngee Ann Poly's Diploma in Biomedical Engineering programme, said the new method is fast when compared with the current method where culture tests are done on the patient and the radiologist has to examined all the X-rays.
The team says it has achieved a 90 per cent success rate in accurately detecting the incidence of TB in patients since they started their research in November.
It hopes to achieve a 100 per cent success rate in about one-and-a-half years. SATA CommHealth'sDiagnostic Imaging Services Manager, Mr Collin Tan, hopes this new computer-aided tool would help to improve the efficiency of radiologists.
He said: "Currently, we are doing around 16,000 chest X-rays per month and we have only two radiologists reporting chest X-rays. With this tool, we hope it would help radiologists filter out suspected TB cases and improve their productivity." Vimita Mohandas
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110107-0000207/A-faster-way-to-screen-patients-for-tuberculosis
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