Use of neural networks in medical expert systems.

Abstract

A prototype Expert System, able to assist gynaecologists in diagnosing and classifying cancer of the neck of the womb is designed and implemented. The system is implemented using NeuroShell, an Expert System Building Tool, based on Neural Networks. A neural model, which predicts the possible outcomes of colposcopy and biopsy, based on Pap test results, as well as on information from the patient record, is developed. Such a system is a very useful tool for physicians both as a training tool as well as a forecasting system, while it also has the capability of incorporating new knowledge, provided by each new case it is presented with. Furthermore, a number of different implementations are provided in order to evaluate a comparative study of their performance.