The use of modified constellation graph method for computer-aided classification of congenital heart diseases

This paper describes a new method of data reduction and classification in a multidimensional symptom space for diagnostic aid of congenital heart diseases. The algorithm developed here is to reduce interactively a multidimensional symptom space to sectorial regions representing each disease in a semicircle using the modified constellation graph method. This method enables us to classify patients using the angle in the semicircle as a single classifying parameter with an accuracy of about 90%, that is, with little overlapping between disease sectors. Comparing this method with conventional factor analysis, we have found the former far more effective than the latter for disease region separation.