NEWS

PAIN NEWS

Topic 2

Tuesday, March 07, 2000 CRANFIELD PIONEERS BACK PAIN RESEARCH Helen Meadows of Cranfield University (UK) Last week the public sector workers union Unison published a report showing that four out of five workers suffered from back pain. Thanks to new research at the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS) part of Cranfield University, it is hoped that back problems will be diagnosed more consistently and accurately allowing for the correct treatment to be given. Hundreds of patients at Swindon's Princess Margaret Hospital have taken part in this groundbreaking research into back pain. Marylin Vaughn and Steven Cavaill from the RMCS have been developing a computer system known as an artificial neural network which has been trained to diagnose low back pain complaints from a given set of symptoms. Orthopaedic surgeons from Princess Margaret Hospital have been collaborating with the researchers to develop this diagnostic tool to increase surgeons' accuracy in decision making. The unique feature of this research is that the network will have an extensive explanation facility to explain to the surgeons how the decision was reached; this is believed to be the first in the world on this scale. Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Michael Foy has been working on this project for some time and finds "the interface between artificial intelligence and clinical medicine very exciting. Back pain is a massive problem in this country and a great drain on the Exchequer. We are hoping to develop a system where neural networks can facilitate early diagnosis of back problems so the management can return to the primary care arena, the General Practitioner." "Early diagnosis should allow effective education and rehabilitation and hopefully prevent long term disability. We hope that the ability to look at the characteristics of patients who have had technically adequate operations but poor clinical results may help us avoid problems of patient selection for surgery in the future. We are hoping to continue collecting data and maintain our links with Cranfield" He said. Helen Meadows - Press Officer, Cranfield University, Cranfield Bedfordshire. MK43 0AL. Tel: +44 (0) 1234 754999. Fax: +44 (0) 1234 752259. Email: [email protected] Today's Pain News is selected from news releases, newspapers and periodicals from a number of sources. Dannemiller Foundation assumes no responsibility for the reliability, accuracy or verification of any news posted on this website. Today's Pain News is intended to enhance public access to a resource of pain information. Information or items mentioned should not be considered an endorsement or advertisement of articles, products, or materials. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the Dannemiller Foundation or pain.com. This service is for information only. Home Pain News