New Portable X-Rays Help Diagnose Tuberculosis from Anywhere

A new digital X-ray system equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) is so easy to transport and use that vulnerable populations in Uganda’s hard-to-reach places can be screened for tuberculosis (TB) and treated in time.

“Ordinarily, you require an expert or a radiologist to interpret an X-ray image, but with artificial intelligence, the program will interpret the image,” explains Dr. Deus Lukoye, TB expert, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Uganda.

Portable and solar-powered, the 35-kg digital X-ray system can be transported by car, boat, or motorcycle. The system has to be connected to AI or the CAD4TB software developed by the Dutch company Delft Imaging. The X-ray takes an image and feeds the information into computer-aided detection, which interprets and relays real-time info indicating if a person suffers from TB. Once a person’s diagnosis is confirmed, they are referred to a hospital or a nearby health facility to start treatment. It takes seconds for digital X-rays to capture a clear image, and since AI is used to interpret the images, it is possible to screen more than 150 people in a day. Since 2020, Uganda has acquired 22 digital X-ray systems – five in mobile vans and 17 backpack kits. According to Uganda’s Ministry of Health, as of today, almost 90% of the estimated 94,000 people who contracted TB in the East African country every year have been screened and tested. Five years ago, that proportion was only 60%.