Diagnosis of alport syndrome by pattern recognition techniques

Abstract

Alport syndrome is a genetic multi-organ disorder, primarily linked with the X-Chromosome, although autosomal forms have been reported. Ultrastructural observations in some cases indicate highly characteristic lesions and mutations in certain genes. Thus the symptomatology of the syndrome is complex and diverse. The aim of this chapter is to present a pattern recognition algorithm to diagnose with high precision patients who may be subject to Alport syndrome. Images of the epidermal basement membrane are studied and a rule to classify them precisely is presented. Theoretical and experimental results are given regarding the possibility of solving this problem.