PNNL machine learning scientists teach computers to read X-ray images

If a person in the developing world severely fractures a limb, they face an impossible choice. An improperly healed fracture could mean a lifetime of pain, but lengthy healing time in traction or a bulky cast results in immediate financial hardship. That's why Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) machine learning scientists leaped into action when they learned they could help a local charity enable patients in the developing world to walk within one week of surgery--even when fractures are severe. For more than 20 years, the Richland, Washington-based charity SIGN Fracture Care has pioneered orthopedic care, including training and innovatively designed implants that speed healing without real-time operating room X-ray machines. During those 20 years, they've built a database of 500,000 procedure images and outcomes that serves as a learning hub for doctors around the world.