Mammographic case base applied for supporting image diagnosis of breast lesion

Mammography is an important screening tool for early detection of breast cancer. However, radiologists usually experience difficulties in image interpretation of grey zones. A computer system providing similar cases with known diagnostic results for decision support would be useful. Applying case-based reasoning (CBR) to a mammographic case base, constructed from prior cases with known diagnostic results, offers a solution to this problem. Serving as an inference tool, the CBR can retrieve similar cases to help radiologists interpret a new mammographic case. To evaluate the usability of this system, 34 licensed radiologists were invited as experts to assess the system. The results indicate that CBR applied to the mammographic case base is valuable for decision support in mammographic image interpretation.