Method and Apparatus for Diagnosing an Allergy of the Upper Respiratory Tract Using a Neural Network
First Claim
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1. A method for diagnosing rhinitis or sinusitis comprising:
- (a) asking a patient each of the following questions;
are any drugs being taken that are known to activate MAST cells said drugs selected from the group consisting of alpha blockers, ACE inhibitors/ATII Receptor antagonists, aspirin, 5 HT-1 agonists, opiate or derivative medications, proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and statins;
severity of nasal symptoms on a scale of 0-n;
are the symptoms perennial/worse in the winter months;
are the symptoms worse during dusting, vacuuming, or cleaning;
are the symptoms present after dietary salicylates; and
(b) carrying out each of the following tests;
skin prick test to house dust mite and/or cockroach;
skin prick test to mixed pollens;
RAST test result to house dust mite and/or cockroach;
RAST test result to mixed pollens; and
(c) inputting the results of the questions and tests into a neural network trained to diagnose said condition; and
(d) producing an output indicative of a diagnosis.
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method and means for performing a diagnosis of a medical condition and, in particular, an allergy associated with the upper respiratory tract, using an artificial neural network.
9 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for diagnosing rhinitis or sinusitis comprising:
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(a) asking a patient each of the following questions; are any drugs being taken that are known to activate MAST cells said drugs selected from the group consisting of alpha blockers, ACE inhibitors/ATII Receptor antagonists, aspirin, 5 HT-1 agonists, opiate or derivative medications, proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and statins; severity of nasal symptoms on a scale of 0-n; are the symptoms perennial/worse in the winter months; are the symptoms worse during dusting, vacuuming, or cleaning; are the symptoms present after dietary salicylates; and (b) carrying out each of the following tests; skin prick test to house dust mite and/or cockroach; skin prick test to mixed pollens; RAST test result to house dust mite and/or cockroach; RAST test result to mixed pollens; and (c) inputting the results of the questions and tests into a neural network trained to diagnose said condition; and (d) producing an output indicative of a diagnosis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16)
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11. A computer system or apparatus, configured to aid in the diagnosis of rhinitis or sinusitis, comprising:
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(a) a device for obtaining data relating to a patient, wherein the data comprises answers to any selected combination of questions and results of tests outlined in an input model selected from the group consisting of 9-, 12-, 14-, 15-, 19-, 21-, 23- and 47-input models above; (b) a device for storing the data in storage means of the computer system; (c) a device for transferring the data to a neural network trained on samples of the data; and (d) a device for extracting from the trained neural network an output, the output being an indicator for the diagnosis of rhinitis or sinusitis. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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12. A method for training a neural network to aid in diagnosing rhinitis or sinusitis, comprising:
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a) obtaining data relating to a group of patients in whom rhinitis or sinusitis is known, wherein the data comprises any selected combination of the results of the questions and tests outlined in an input model selected from the group consisting of 9-, 12-, 14-, 15-, 19-, 21-, 23- and 47-input models; (b) training a neural network to identify the pattern of data which corresponds to the rhinitis or sinusitis; and (c) storing the neural network in storage means of a computer or on a computer-readable medium.
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13. A computer program product comprising:
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a computer usable medium having computer readable program code and computer readable system code embodied on said medium for aiding in the diagnosis of rhinitis or sinusitis, said computer program product including; computer program code means, when the program code is loaded, to make the computer execute a procedure to; (a) obtain data relating to a patient, wherein the data comprises answers to any selected combination of questions and results of the tests outlined in an input model selected from the group consisting of 9-, 12-, 14-, 15-, 19-, 21-, 23- and 47-input models; (b) store the data; (c) transfer the data to a neural network trained on the aforementioned data; and (d) extract from the trained neural network an output, the output being an indicator for the diagnosis of rhinitis or sinusitis. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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14. A computer system comprising a first means for:
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(a) obtaining data relating to a patient, wherein the data comprises answers to any selected combination of questions and results of tests outlined in an input model selected from the group consisting of 9-, 12-, 14-, 15-, 19-, 21-, 23- and 47-input models; and a second remote means, wherein said second remote means comprises means for; (b) storing the data; (c) transferring the data to a neural network trained on the aforementioned data; and (d) extracting from the trained neural network on output, the output being an indicator for the diagnosis of rhinitis or sinusitis. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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15. (canceled)
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17. (canceled)
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19-20. -20. (canceled)
Specification