Biomedical subjects

P Torasso

Publications and source records attributed to P Torasso.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Multiple representations and multi-modal reasoning in medical diagnostic systems.

The paper examines the motivations for developing medical diagnostic systems exploiting multiple representations and multi-modal reasoning. The analysis is carried on by revisiting the architectural choices of the CHECK system (developed in late 1980s) which combined heuristic and causal knowledge. The results in the theory of diagnosis and in model-based reasoning (MBR) obtained in early 1990s are used for providing a formal characterization of the notion of diagnosis and of the reasoning mechanisms used in CHECK. The paper addresses also the problem of replacing heuristic knowledge provided by human experts with operational knowledge automatically derived from the deep model. In particular, the pros and cons of knowledge compilation and of the integration of case-based reasoning (CBR) with MBR are discussed by summarizing the experience gained in developing AID and ADAPtER. The problem of using an explicit representation of time in diagnostic systems is analyzed and recent work on the different characterizations of diagnosis arising when the temporal dimension is considered is reported. Finally, the implications of the results obtained in MBR and in temporal reasoning on the future of medical diagnostic systems are briefly discussed.

Artificial Intelligence↗

PubMed1992

LIED--liver: information, education and diagnosis.

In this paper we describe LIED (Liver: Information, Education and Diagnosis), a diagnostic expert system devoted to medical education in the field of hepatology. LIED combines the facilities of a traditional expert system for clinical diagnosis with several modules designed for educational purposes. The goal of such modules is to train physicians, in particular as regards the improvement of their problem solving ability (at the end of their curricula students in medicine usually lack experience in organizing an efficient and accurate diagnostic process). Training on real and simulated cases has been widely recognized as a proper approach to clinical experience. The architecture of the diagnostic system is introduced, which forms the core of LIED, and which has been derived from our previous experience, and the various educational functions are discussed that were developed on top of the basic architecture.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed1992

Computer assisted development of diagnostic expert systems. A domain-independent package (EMPTY) for acquisition and use of expert's medical knowledge.

The package EMPTY has been developed with the aim of providing a tool based on well assessed methodological principles which can support both the organisation and use of medical knowledge for diagnostic and educational purposes. EMPTY is domain-independent and results in two interactive programs: ASK guides the acquisition of medical knowledge and RUN supports medical decision-making and provides facilities for medical education. The knowledge bases developed on ASK have a standard formal structure: they include taxonomies, definitions and descriptions of diseases, clinical findings and investigations; production rules for activation and refinement of diagnostic hypotheses; frame-like profiles of diseases; and quantitative criteria for scoring the clinical evidence on the base of available data.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

PubMed1990

Educational applications of a knowledge-based expert system for medical decision making in hepatology.

An expert system for medical decision making in hepatology has been developed with the aim of assisting medical education. The knowledge representation is based on different slots respectively concerned with structural and protypical description, and system control. Reasoning is performed at two levels considering in sequence syndromes and diseases. Explanations are available at any time during the reasoning process. Educational facilities are provided by using the help sections of the system, which include definitions and descriptions of finding in both health and disease, as well as summaries defining essential clinical and pathophysiological features of all diagnostic hypotheses. The system provides the following educational functions: support to medical decision making, differential diagnosis, knowledge-base consultation, system description and clinical simulation. A good correspondence was found between the conclusions and suggestions provided by the system and those of the attending physicians. The program, which was written in PROLOG and developed under MS-DOS Operating System, runs on IBM-compatible personal computers equipped with hard-disk and mouse.

Computer Systems↗

PubMed1984

An expert system for the evaluation of liver functional assessment.

The paper describes an expert system for the assessment of the liver function. Since the system must act as an intelligent assistant for a general physician, a major emphasis has been laid upon its interactive capabilities. In particular, the user can ask the system how a given conclusion has been reached (explanation facilities) and can alter the normal operation flow. In the design of the system, the different significance and availability of the clinical data and the laboratory tests have been taken into account: The investigations about a given patient start from the clinical data, and only when there is some evidence of hepatopathy are the results of some laboratory tests requested. The final result of the investigations consists of the assessment of the liver function in terms of four aspects (biosynthesis, cholestasis, cytolysis, reactivity), each of which is assigned a linguistic value describing its impairment degree. The techniques adopted in the system are based on Artificial Intelligence methodologies augmented with linguistic terms handled according to the fuzzy set theory.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Knowledge based expert systems for medical diagnosis.

Knowledge based expert systems' have been developed in the last decade for many different applications by adopting artificial intelligence techniques. The paper discusses the main characteristics of the expert systems devoted to medical diagnosis (knowledge representation, explanation capability, inexact reasoning) and addresses some of the limitations (mainly system validation and knowledge acquisition). Finally the paper sketches the overall organization of an expert system devoted to the evaluation of liver function.

Artificial Intelligence↗