Computerised Interpretation Systems for Cardiotocography for Both Home and Hospital Uses

Improving the accuracy and consistency of interpretation results for foetal monitoring has been an active research direction in both obstetrics and gynaecology. In this paper, we have developed computer-aided analysis systems for use both in hospitals and at home that incorporate automatic scoring functions to evaluate the foetal conditions in the cavity of the uterus. These systems can analyse any segment of data in a foetal monitoring record. Our novel systems can accurately identify the CTG patterns, such as FHR baseline, foetal movements, uterine contractions, accelerations and type of decelerations, thus making the interpretation results more accurate. There are two modes of scoring: automatic and manual, and the system consists of a number of popular scoring methods, including the Kreb's, Fischer, and improved Fischer scoring methods and the ACOG three-tier classification methods. According to clinical tests in hospitals, the systems have comparable accuracy to obstetricians' interpretations. Computerised interpretation thus provides a supplement to traditional analysis that could help obstetricians function more effectively.