title: Pulmonary nodules: automated detection on CT images with morphologic matching algorithm--preliminary results.
abstract: Institutional review board approval was obtained. Informed patient consent was not required for this retrospective study, which involved review of previously obtained image data. Patient confidentiality was protected; the study was compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. An automated pulmonary nodule detection program that takes advantage of three-dimensional volumetric data was developed and tested with multi-detector row computed tomographic (CT) images from 20 patients (13 men, seven women; age range, 40-75 years) with pulmonary nodules. A total of 164 nodules 3 mm in diameter and larger were detected by two radiologists in consensus and were used as a reference standard to evaluate the computer-aided detection (CAD) program. The CAD algorithm was structured to process nodules that were categorized into three types: isolated, juxtapleural, and juxtavascular. Overall sensitivity for nodule detection with the CAD program was 95.1% (156 of 164 nodules). The sensitivity according to nodule size was 91.2% (52 of 57 nodules) for nodules 3 mm to less than 5 mm and 97.2% (104 of 107 nodules) for nodules 5 mm and larger. The number of false-positive detections per patient was 6.9 for false nodule structures 3 mm and larger and 4.0 for false nodule structures 5 mm and larger.
authors.affiliation: Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 510 S Kingshighway Blvd, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. baet@mir.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Kyongtae T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Jin-Sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yong-Hum
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Na
authors.forename: Kwang Gi
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin-Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed