Fujitsu and Tokyo Shinagawa Hospital have launched a joint artificial intelligence (AI) project for effective diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia.

The solution will let doctors perform diagnostic imaging and present the likelihood of infection through a numerical, three-dimensional visualisation of the spread of shadows in the lungs using chest CT imaging.

This automates a time-consuming process that normally demands the visual confirmation of hundreds of chest CT images per patient.

Fujitsu and Tokyo Shinagawa Hospital anticipate that the system will deliver early detection of cases of COVID-19 pneumonia based on chest CT image findings, even in cases in which the possibility of infection is determined to be low upon initial examination.

Commercialisation under consideration

Through this joint research and development effort, the partners aim to deliver technology that leverages a variety of information to improve chest CT image diagnosis for COVID-19 pneumonia.

Fujitsu is considering the commercialisation of this technology as a healthcare solution. Tokyo Shinagawa Hospital hopes to contribute to society by integrating various studies conducted in the hospital and using them for diagnosis and treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia.