Researchers the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation in Chandigarh, India, led by Neelesh Kumar, were led to this discovery after they noticed that even though incidences of osteoporosis are increasing, using patient X-rays to diagnose the bone disorder often leads to false positives or false negatives. This is because, no matter who is examining the X-ray, you cannot escape subjectivity.
Therefore, by digitising the X-ray images, and estimating bone porosity based on a sophisticated computer algorithm, the team have developed a new method that could greatly improve bone wellness, as roughly 80% of osteoporosis diagnoses are made using X-rays. By the time an X-ray examination confirms the diagnosis, the disorder is usually at the severe or late-stage of development. A computerized system, on the other hand, could allow much earlier diagnosis to be made, which will give you a chance for more successful treatment to prevent the disorder from becoming a potentially debilitating illness.
The vital component to the success of the new computerised technique is the addition of a reference index to the X-ray image. Usually, it is possible to make errors due to the X-ray source quality, the film and its processing quality, but the team says that the digital index on the film in the new system all but removes these sources of error.
The system has been tested on 40 elderly Asian patients with known diagnoses. The team found that two-thirds of the men and 9 out of 10 of the females had osteoporosis, and the error rate was less than 2%. Now, the team has begun to compile a base of knowledge containing validated X-ray images which the computer algorithm can compare with new X-rays. The system will improve with use because new images of definitive diagnoses can be added to the database in the future.
According to the researchers, ‘The new tool is a cost-effective solution, as it uses the existing facilities available in hospitals and thus, imparts no extra financial burden on healthcare providers or patients for quantitative estimation of osteoporosis.’ Further, they note that not only does this discovery improve the wellbeing of people with osteoporosis, but also the same computerized diagnosis could be adapted to analyse bone deformity, scoliosis measurement, X-ray cracks and fractures.