Development of a decision support system for diagnosis and grading of brain tumours using in vivo magnetic resonance single voxel spectra.
A computer-based decision support system to assist radiologists in diagnosing and grading brain tumours has been developed by the multi-centre INTERPRET project. Spectra from a database of 1H single-voxel spectra of different types of brain tumours, acquired in vivo from 334 patients at four different centres, are clustered according to their pathology, using automated pattern recognition techniques and the results are presented as a two-dimensional scatterplot using an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI). Formal quality control procedures were performed to standardize the performance of the instruments and check each spectrum, and teams of expert neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, neurologists and neuropathologists clinically validated each case. The prototype decision support system (DSS) successfully classified 89% of the cases in an independent test set of 91 cases of the most frequent tumour types (meningiomas, low-grade gliomas and high-grade malignant tumours--glioblastomas and metastases). It also helps to resolve diagnostic difficulty in borderline cases. When the prototype was tested by radiologists and other clinicians it was favourably received. Results of the preliminary clinical analysis of the added value of using the DSS for brain tumour diagnosis with MRS showed a small but significant improvement over MRI used alone. In the comparison of individual pathologies, PNETs were significantly better diagnosed with the DSS than with MRI alone.
Tate
Anne R
AR
St George's, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, UK.
Underwood
Joshua
J
Acosta
Dionisio M
DM
Julià-Sapé
Margarida
M
Majós
Carles
C
Moreno-Torres
Angel
A
Howe
Franklyn A
FA
van der Graaf
Marinette
M
Lefournier
Virginie
V
Murphy
Mary M
MM
Loosemore
Alison
A
Ladroue
Christophe
C
Wesseling
Pieter
P
Luc Bosson
Jean
J
Cabañas
Miquel E
ME
Simonetti
Arjan W
AW
Gajewicz
Witold
W
Calvar
Jorge
J
Capdevila
Antoni
A
Wilkins
Peter R
PR
Bell
B Anthony
BA
Rémy
Chantal
C
Heerschap
Arend
A
Watson
Des
D
Griffiths
John R
JR
Arús
Carles
C
D000465:Algorithms; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D005103:Expert Systems; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity