Diagnosis aiding apparatus, method, and computer program

A diagnosis aiding method, comprising the steps of:

• i) storing a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information, which are necessary for disease diagnoses, and at least one piece of disease information, which represents a disease to be diagnosed in accordance with the diagnostic information,
• ii) storing link information with respect to eachpiece of the disease information,
• the link information linking the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information with one another in accordance with relationships among the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information, which are to be utilized at the time of a diagnosis of each disease, and/or linking the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information and the disease information with each other in accordance with relationships between the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information and the disease information,
• iii) previously storing a probability of occurrence, with which the disease occurs in accordance with the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information, and a probability of occurrence, with which the disease occurs in accordance with a combination of the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information corresponding to the link information,
• iv) inputting at least one piece of the diagnostic information among the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information,
• v) retrieving the probability of occurrence, which is associated with the diagnostic information having been inputted from the input means, from the probability storing means, and
• vi) acquiring the probability of occurrence with respect to each disease by use of the thus retrieved probability of occurrence and in accordance with the link information of each piece of the disease information.

A computer program for operating a computer provided with:

• i) link information storing means for storing a plurality of pieces of diagnostic information, which are necessary for disease diagnoses, and at least one piece of disease information, which represents a disease to be diagnosed in accordance with the diagnostic information, and storing link information with respect to each piece of the disease information,
• the link information linking the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information with one another in accordance with relationships among the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information, which are to be utilized at the time of a diagnosis of each disease, and/or linking the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information and the disease information with each other in accordance with relationships between the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information and the disease information, and
• ii) probability storing means for previously storing a probability of occurrence, with which the disease occurs in accordance with the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information, and a probability of occurrence, with which the disease occurs in accordance with a combination of the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information corresponding to the link information,
• wherein the computer program causes the computer to function as:
• a) input means for inputting at least one piece of the diagnostic information among the plurality of pieces of the diagnostic information, and
• b) probability acquiring means for retrieving the probability of occurrence, which is associated with the diagnostic information having been inputted from the input means, from the probability storing means, and acquiring the probability of occurrence with respect to each disease by use of the thus retrieved probability of occurrence and in accordance with the link information of each piece of the disease information.