{"id":172824,"date":"2019-11-08T21:34:37","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T13:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/featured\/-1809799\/"},"modified":"2019-11-08T21:34:37","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T13:34:37","slug":"ai-could-help-diagnose-dogs-suffering-from-chronic-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/11\/08\/ai-could-help-diagnose-dogs-suffering-from-chronic-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"AI Could Help Diagnose Dogs Suffering From Chronic Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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AI could help diagnose dogs suffering from chronic pain and identify facial changes associated with malformation (via Alexas_Fotos\/Pixabay)<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

A new artificial intelligence technique<\/a> could help veterinarians quickly identify dogs with a chronic disease that causes crippling pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS) are predisposed to Chiari-like malformation (CM), a disease which causes deformity of the skull and neck.<\/span><\/p>\n

In some extreme cases, it can even lead to spinal cord damage called syringomyelia (SM)\u2014straightforward to diagnose, but difficult to confirm associated pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Never fear: AI is here!<\/span><\/p>\n

In a paper<\/a> published by the <\/span>Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine<\/span><\/i>, researchers from the University of Surrey’s Center for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP) and School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) detail their automated method.<\/span><\/p>\n

“This project demonstrates the potential for AI using machine learning to provide new diagnostic tools for animal health,” Adrian Hilton, Surrey professor and director of CVSSP, said in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using image mapping, the team was able to discover patterns in MRI data that can help vets identify dogs suffering from CM-associated pain. (It involves the canines’ third ventricle, neural tissue, sphenoid bone, and presphenoid bone.)<\/span><\/p>\n

“The success of our technique suggests machine learning can be developed as a diagnostic tool to help treat Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s that are suffering from this enigmatic and terrible disease,” lead study author Michaela Spiteri, a research student at CVSSP, said.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We believe that AI can be a useful tool for veterinarians caring for our four-legged family members,” she added.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identification of these biomarkers inspired further findings<\/a>, also published in the <\/span>Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine<\/span><\/i>, which found that dogs with pain associated with CM have a differently shaped skull and reduced nasal tissue.<\/span><\/p>\n

“This study suggests that the whole skull, rather than just the hindbrain, should be analyzed in diagnostic tests,” according to co-author Penny Knowler.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It also impacts \u2026 how we should interpret MRI from affected dogs” she continued, “and the choices we make when we breed predisposed dogs and develop breeding recommendations.”<\/span><\/p>\n

More on Geek.com:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n