| Fujifilm has brought image analysis technology to the front lines of healthcare practice as well. One example is its application to chest X-ray diagnosis. The technology enables doctors to make earlier and more accurate diagnoses of early-stage cancerous lesions. |
| Cancer is the primary cause of death in Japan. Of the various cancers, lung cancer is the most prevalent one in Japan and it is increasing year after year. When examining the chest, doctors carefully compare the patient’s past and present X-ray images. Any change between the past and present images may suggest lung cancer. |
| Even for experienced and skilled doctors, it can be difficult to find a slight change with a side-by-side comparison of the patient’s past and present X-ray images. And we wondered, “Could we superimpose the present image onto the past image to compare them?” We knew that the differences between the two images due to different body angles, shape changes, breathing, and heartbeats make it practically impossible to superimpose them perfectly. |
| Fujifilm has developed a sophisticated matching technology that automatically corrects previous images to match the current images. The new image of the chest tissue is superimposed onto the previous image in a highly precise way to clearly indicate any changes. The doctor can identify small cancer lesions, leading to an accurate diagnosis at an early stage. Time subtraction image – an image achieved with a subtraction between the past and present images. Utilizing the collected massive X-ray analysis data, Fujifilm has applied its unique expertise to creating images that can save lives. |
