Combining statistics and case-based reasoning for medical research

Abstract

In medicine many exceptions occur. In medical practice and in knowledgebased systems too, it is necessary to consider them and to deal with them appropriately. In medical studies and in research, exceptions should be explained.We present a system, called ISOR, that helps to explain cases that do not fit to a theoretical hypothesis. Starting points are situations where neither a well-developed theory nor reliable knowledge nor, at the beginning, a case base is available. So, instead of theoretical knowledge and intelligent experience, just some theoretical hypothesis and a set of measurements are given. In this chapter, we focus on the application of the ISOR system to the hypothesis that a specific exercise program improves the physical condition of dialysis patients. Additionally, for this application a method to restore missing data is presented. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009.