An artificial intelligence (AI)-based medical image analysis solution developed by Vietnamese engineers has been put into use on a trial basis at three major hospitals in Vietnam in order to help doctors make accurate and quick decisions in diagnostic imaging.

The new solution, named VinDr, has been researched and developed by the Vingroup Big Data Institute (VinBDI) since the end of 2018.

Vingroup is Vietnam’s leading conglomerate, operating in several fields including real estate, entertainment, technology, healthcare, and education.

From June 19, the AI VinDr medical image analysis solution has been deployed for a two-month trial at three major hospitals in Hanoi, namely 108 Military Central Hospital, Hanoi Medical University Hospital, and Vinmec Times City International Hospital.

In the immediate operation, the VinDr solution will perform two functions, including diagnosis of lung diseases on chest radiography and diagnosis of breast cancer on X-ray images.

It is capable of four additional functions, including diagnosis of lung cancer on tomography (CT) images, diagnosis of liver cancer on CT images, diagnosis of stroke on CT images, and diagnosis of brain tumors on magnetic resonance imaging – all of which will be deployed in 2021, according to the VinBDI website.

VinDr plays the role of providing objective consultation, ensuring that small details are not missed, and helping doctors have enough data to make the best decision. 

In particular, with the ability to self-optimize over time, the AI ​​algorithm will be constantly trained and improved by experienced medical imaging experts.

Besides diagnosis, VinDr can also automatically pinpoint suspected lesions and point out anomalies with an average accuracy of over 90 percent.

The software boasts a high processing speed. It is capable of analyzing a chest X-ray image in under one second and a diagnostic mammogram in under five seconds.

Specially, VinDr can also diagnose different cases simultaneously.

During the trial period, VinBDI will install and support the use of the software and collect doctors’ evaluation before proceeding to a large-scale application.

“Early detection of cancer through diagnostic imaging plays an important role in the disease treatment. The application of AI in this field will create an effective tool to support screening programs for cancer or other incurable diseases in the future. We assess that VinDr is among the top in the field of diagnostic imaging support,” Dr. Le Tuan Linh, head of the Imaging Department at Hanoi Medical University Hospital, told VinBDI.

According to VinBDI, there are about 15,000 new breast cancer cases, of which 70 percent are detected at late stages, in Vietnam every year.

Meanwhile, there are two million newly-detected breast cancer cases and more than 500,000 deaths related to the disease in the world each year.

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