Pulmonary nodules*1 show up as white shadows on the lungs in X-ray and CT images and indicate the possibility of lung cancer. Lung cancer has one of the highest mortalities among malignant growths (tumors), and it is important to detect pulmonary nodules, which are a symptom, as early as possible for early detection and timely treatment. Fujifilm utilized AI technology*2 to develop computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) function for automatic detection of possible pulmonary nodules on CT images of the lungs, and a technology to analyze pulmonary nodules confirmed by a physician and support the preparation of a report on the physician’s findings.
Leaving gauze in the body after a surgical procedure is a serious accident that could result in complications and infections, so medical institutions are seeking technology that will be of use in preventing such oversights. Fujifilm has made it possible to supports the confirmation of whether gauze has been left behind in the patient’s body after surgery by recognizing and marking surgical gauze in X-ray images using AI technology*2.
In certain cases, medical institutions perform CT scans of the chest to go with PCR and antibody tests to check whether a patient has COVID-19 when admitting them to the hospital or providing emergency transport. Reducing the workloads of medical professionals involved in diagnostic imaging has become an issue. Fujifilm has developed the technology to support physicians in diagnostic imaging by indicating the possibility (certainty) that a chest CT image may include radiological findings that are characteristic of COVID-19 pneumonia and marking the areas related to determining the level of certainty thereof utilizing AI technology*2.
- *1 Refers to growths no more than 3 cm in size, sometimes smaller than 5 mm
- *2 Deep learning, which is a form of AI technology, was used in the design. System performance and accuracy do not change automatically once installed
- *3 Does not guarantee the recognition of all gauze and requires a comprehensive confirmation including visual inspection of the X-ray
Fujifilm developed an AI development support platform with the National Cancer Center Japan to promote research and development of AI technology assisting diagnostic imaging by research and medical institutions (announced in April 2021). This platform facilitates the development of AI technology (software) for assisting diagnostic imaging by physicians and researchers without requiring advanced knowledge of programming. Both parties will utilize the platform in research and verify its usefulness, and Fujifilm will be working on commercialization.