Computer-Aided Diagnosis in Thoracic Computed Tomography

Abstract

Current computed tomography (CT) technology allows for isotropic, sub-millimetre resolution acquisition of the thorax in a few seconds. These thin-slice chest scans have become indispensable in thoracic radiology, but have also increased the time and effort required from radiologists for reporting. Industry has focused on the development of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) tools to facilitate the interpretation of thoracic CT data. In this paper I discuss the three most ‘senior’ CAD applications for chest CT: nodule detection, nodule volumetry and quantification of emphysema. Are these applications ready for widespread application?