Dataset Information

Using natural language processing to extract mammographic findings.

ABSTRACT: Structured data on mammographic findings are difficult to obtain without manual review. We developed and evaluated a rule-based natural language processing (NLP) system to extract mammographic findings from free-text mammography reports.The NLP system extracted four mammographic findings: mass, calcification, asymmetry, and architectural distortion, using a dictionary look-up method on 93,705 mammography reports from Group Health. Status annotations and anatomical location annotation were associated to each NLP detected finding through association rules. After excluding negated, uncertain, and historical findings, affirmative mentions of detected findings were summarized. Confidence flags were developed to denote reports with highly confident NLP results and reports with possible NLP errors. A random sample of 100 reports was manually abstracted to evaluate the accuracy of the system.The NLP system correctly coded 96-99 out of our sample of 100 reports depending on findings. Measures of sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive values exceeded 0.92 for all findings. Positive predictive values were relatively low for some findings due to their low prevalence.Our NLP system was implemented entirely in SAS Base, which makes it portable and easy to implement. It performed reasonably well with multiple applications, such as using confidence flags as a filter to improve the efficiency of manual review. Refinements of library and association rules, and testing on more diverse samples may further improve its performance.Our NLP system successfully extracts clinically useful information from mammography reports. Moreover, SAS is a feasible platform for implementing NLP algorithms.

SUBMITTER: Gao H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4408241 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Using natural language processing to extract mammographic findings.

Gao Hongyuan H Aiello Bowles Erin J EJ Carrell David D Buist Diana S M DS

Journal of biomedical informatics 20150203

<h4>Objective</h4>Structured data on mammographic findings are difficult to obtain without manual review. We developed and evaluated a rule-based natural language processing (NLP) system to extract mammographic findings from free-text mammography reports.<h4>Materials and methods</h4>The NLP system extracted four mammographic findings: mass, calcification, asymmetry, and architectural distortion, using a dictionary look-up method on 93,705 mammography reports from Group Health. Status annotation ...[more]

PMID: 25661260

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Project description:BackgroundThe medical problem list is an important part of the electronic medical record in development in our institution. To serve the functions it is designed for, the problem list has to be as accurate and timely as possible. However, the current problem list is usually incomplete and inaccurate, and is often totally unused. To alleviate this issue, we are building an environment where the problem list can be easily and effectively maintained.MethodsFor this project, 80 medical problems were selected for their frequency of use in our future clinical field of evaluation (cardiovascular). We have developed an Automated Problem List system composed of two main components: a background and a foreground application. The background application uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to harvest potential problem list entries from the list of 80 targeted problems detected in the multiple free-text electronic documents available in our electronic medical record. These proposed medical problems drive the foreground application designed for management of the problem list. Within this application, the extracted problems are proposed to the physicians for addition to the official problem list.ResultsThe set of 80 targeted medical problems selected for this project covered about 5% of all possible diagnoses coded in ICD-9-CM in our study population (cardiovascular adult inpatients), but about 64% of all instances of these coded diagnoses. The system contains algorithms to detect first document sections, then sentences within these sections, and finally potential problems within the sentences. The initial evaluation of the section and sentence detection algorithms demonstrated a sensitivity and positive predictive value of 100% when detecting sections, and a sensitivity of 89% and a positive predictive value of 94% when detecting sentences.ConclusionThe global aim of our project is to automate the process of creating and maintaining a problem list for hospitalized patients and thereby help to guarantee the timeliness, accuracy and completeness of this information.

Dataset Information

Using natural language processing to extract mammographic findings.

Publications

Using natural language processing to extract mammographic findings.

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