Automated image interpretation in mammography, cytogenetics and retinopathy

The author describes work which is directed at three areas of medical investigation in which screening of asymptomatic but high-risk cases is carried out. The three applications are rather different medically and work is at different stages of maturity. They exhibit, however, a common approach to screening applications-that of an interactive aid to a trained human assessor. In the author´s experience, the diagnostic aid mode of operation can produce genuine advantages in clinical practice, while allowing the accrual of experience in analysis of real images which can be used in making progress towards systems with ever smaller human involvement. An important advantage of this approach is that system development can proceed holistically, making optimal use of human expertise. The example of a mature application in automated image interpretation in cytogenetics is used as a model for this style of development. Mammography and retinopathy provide examples of current work being developed along similar lines