AI system lends helping hand in virus diagnosis

The Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center has been using an intelligent medical imaging evaluation system since Jan 28 to help with the diagnosis of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus.

Developed by Shanghai-based Yitu Technology Co Ltd, the evaluation system is able to perform a quantitative analysis of the lungs with the help of artificial intelligence and suggest therapy options. This in turn allows doctors to make faster, more accurate medical decisions.

Shi Yuxin, deputy head of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, said CT imaging is an important reference for the diagnosis and treatment of the novel coronavirus. The recently introduced AI system can classify pneumonia caused by the virus according to its severity, precisely calculate the burden on the lungs and provide 4D dynamic pathology comparisons.

Traditional quantitative analysis performed by humans usually requires up to six hours. The new AI system is able to perform the same task in three seconds or less.

To date, the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centerhas used the system to diagnose more than 70 cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus. The results have been highly reliable, and similar to those produced by doctors.

Yitu Technology Co Ltd said it is willing to perform free installations and upgrades of their imaging products at hospitals designated for patients infected with the novel coronavirus.