Uterine cervical cancer Computer-Aided-Diagnosis (CAD) according to this
invention consists of a core processing system that automatically
analyses data acquired from the uterine cervix and provides tissue and
patient diagnosis, as well as adequacy of the examination. The data can
include, but is not limited to, color still images or video, reflectance
and fluorescence multi-spectral or hyper-spectral imagery, coherent
optical tomography imagery, and impedance measurements, taken with and
without the use of contrast agents like 3-5% acetic acid, Lugol's iodine,
or 5-aminolevulinic acid. The core processing system is based on an open,
modular, and feature-based architecture, designed for multi-data,
multi-sensor, and multi-feature fusion. The core processing system can be
embedded in different CAD system realizations. For example: A CAD system
for cervical cancer screening could in a very simple version consist of a
hand-held device that only acquires one digital RGB image of the uterine
cervix after application of 3-5% acetic acid and provides automatically a
patient diagnosis. A CAD system used as a colposcopy adjunct could
provide all functions that are related to colposcopy and that can be
provided by a computer, from automation of the clinical workflow to
automated patient diagnosis and treatment recommendation.