SOFTWARE CUTS TIME NEEDED TO IDENTIFY BONE DISORDERS

British University to Automate Bone Identification Process

New software in development at the University of Manchester will soon be able to automatically outline bones in x-rays – a process which currently requires considerable time and skill. The software, based on an earlier free version called BoneFinder, is receiving £300,000 in funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council over a span of three years.

It can already identify hip bones and will soon be able to pick out knees, hands and other structures thanks to the efforts of the university’s Institute of Population Health. Once the program is determined to be sufficiently accurate, it can be used in hospitals to diagnose various conditions while saving thousands of hours of manual work.£30 billion spent annually for the growing problem of arthritis added to a national shortage of radiographers in the UK means that this technology can’t get here soon enough. According to Tim Cootes, Professor of Computer Vision, researchers must currently examine hundreds of radiograph images in huge databases in order to diagnose bone disorders.

This is a very inefficient method of data-gathering, especially with 30% of UK residents over the age of 65 suffering from arthritis. But with the program in place specialists will be able to focus on the development of treatments and dedicate more time to helping patients.