An intelligent CAD system for automated detection of pulmonary tuberculosis on chest radiograph and CT thorax: A road map

Tuberculosis (TB) is a common and deadly infectious disease that can occur at any age. It mostly affects the lungs, but can also affect other organs, including the central nervous system. TB is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in adults worldwide, killing more than 1.5 million people every year. TB is often ignored by health care professionals at emergency departments in Canada. This is due to the fact that TB is a rare disease in Canadian-born non-Aboriginals. However, it remains prevalent in some groups, including immigrants from TB endemic countries. The basic key to control the spread of TB is the early detection and treatment. This paper exhibits several innovative works to automate the detection of TB and introduces an integrated auto-monitoring computer-aided detection (CAD) system. This system will be capable of detecting TB from plain chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) thorax and triggers warning control devices to announce for prevalent active TB. The proposed system would be of great value in protecting Canadians and others from unwanted contagion.