BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital has put into use an AI-based system in medical imaging, which has sped up COVID-19 diagnosis.
Dong Dawei, director of the hospital's radiology department, said the system could finish calculations of multiple imaging indices such as the area and density of lung infection, and make diagnoses within 10 seconds.
"The system offers a quantitative assessment of the focal areas, assisting clinicians in judging the condition of illness and assessing therapeutic effectiveness more quickly and accurately," Dong said.
All computed tomography (CT) images from one patient could be processed in seconds on the AI-assisted diagnosis system. At the same time, traditional imaging examination usually takes a much longer time, up to 15 minutes for every single case.
The "AI+CT" system could also make accurate follow-up comparisons on the lesions, providing data for doctors who would make further evaluations and formulate more targeted treatment plans, Dong added.
AI robots have been used in the hospital for multiple purposes, such as delivering daily necessities and disinfection, running eight to 10 hours for every full self-recharging.
Wang Hongyu, head of the information center at the hospital, said the timely use of these high-techs has effectively reduced the risk of cross-infection in the hospital and strongly supported epidemic prevention and control.
The hospital, located in the city's northern suburb, was designated for quarantining and treating SARS patients in 2003. Upon completion of a renovation, the hospital was put into use this month for the screening and treatment of imported mild and common confirmed COVID-19 cases, suspected cases and those who need to be tested.
