A fast method for colon polyp detection in high-resolution CT data

Abstract Early detection of colon polyps through screening has been proven to save lives, and it is expected that Computed Tomography Colonography (CTC) will offer benefits comparable to screening colonoscopy. CTC offers a more comfortable method of screening for patients, but requires significant time and effort by radiologists to examine large data sets. High-resolution images from multi-slice CT machines offer the potential to detect smaller polyps, but at the cost of larger data sets to analyze. This paper introduces and evaluates a system for rapid Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) of colon polyps, intended for use as a second reader. The system runs to completion in less time than radiologists typically require for a first read of the data. The system achieved 95% sensitivity to polyps between 6 and 19 mm in diameter, with an average of 5.76 false positives per patient.