Computer-assisted Diagnosis (CAD) in Colposcopy: Evaluation of a Pilot Study

Background: A prototype system for computer-assisted colposcopic diagnosis (CAD) currently achieves a high level of accuracy of 80% (sensitivity 85%, specificity 75%) for the automatic assessment of colposcopic images. This pilot study investigated whether this type of CAD system is, in principle, capable of influencing the quality of the examiner's assessment. Materials and Methods: In this observer study, 24 digitized colposcopic images from patients attending a dysplasia clinic were assessed by 90 participants. All participants had attended a colposcopy training workshop so that they acquired the same basic information and skills. Results: Wide variation was seen among the non-experts, in contrast to the experts. An overall improvement in diagnostic accuracy was noted when the CAD system was used (non-experts: sensitivity 78%, specificity 70%; experts: sensitivity 74%, specificity 70%). Conclusion: The CAD system may serve as an aid in the further diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and has the potential to improve the diagnostic process.