[The differential diagnosis of sarcoidosis of the respiratory organs using mathematical methods and computers]. / Differentsial'naia diagnostika sarkoidoza organov dykhaniia s primeneniem matematicheskikh metodov i EVM.

A system for detecting sarcoidosis has been proposed on the basis of the results of a primary examination, which comprises a combination of programs for determining whether sarcoidosis may occur in various X-ray syndromes (enlarged intrathoracic lymph nodes, disseminated process, infiltrative or pneumonia-like shadow and cavity formation). The system has been developed with the help of a program-algorithm complex which enables one to make the dialogue system of the decision-make support on the basis of statistical methods of "image recognition" containing basic structural elements of the expert systems. Program development proceeds from the findings obtained in 406 patients with sarcoidosis of respiratory organs and 723 patients having similar clinical and X-ray picture of the disease. The diagnostic efficiency of the system was 89% in disseminated processes, 90% in enlarged intrathoracic lymph nodes and cavitary changes, and 96.2% in infiltrative changes.

[Serum angiotensin converting enzyme in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis and other lung diseases]. / Angiotenzinprevrashchaiushchii ferment syvorotki krovi v diagnostike sarkoidoza i drugikh zabolevanii legkikh.

The serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity (ACE) was studied in 198 patients (116 had sarcoidosis and 82 pulmonary diseases with sarcoidosis-like X-ray picture). Rise of ACE activity in sarcoidosis patients was clearly associated with the process phase (93% in active sarcoidosis and 35.7% in nonactive). Rise of serum ACE activity was found in 46.3% of the patients having sarcoidosis-like diseases (in 41% with tuberculosis 56.3% with nonspecific inflammatory diseases and also in patients with fibrosing alveolitis, histiocytosis X and pneumoconiosis). Though the blood serum ACE activity has a high rate of the increase in sarcoidosis, this test should be considered only in the general complex of differential diagnosis signs. This can be explained by a sufficiently high probability of ACE activity rise in all diseases that most commonly require differentiation with sarcoidosis.