A systematic process consisting of an ordered sequence of steps, each step depending on the outcome of the previous one. In clinical medicine, a step-by-step protocol for management of a health care problem; in computed tomography, the formulas used for calculation of the final image from the transmitted x-ray data. [Mediev. L. algorismus, after Muhammad ibn-Musa al-Khwarizmi, Arabian mathematician, + G. arithmos, number]
* * *
n.
a sequential set of instructions used in calculations or problem solving. A reconstruction algorithm is a complex mathematical formula used by a computer to construct images from the data acquired by CT, MRI, or other scanners. A diagnostic algorithm or a therapeutic algorithm consists of a stepwise series of instructions with branching pathways to be followed to assist a physician in coming to a diagnosis or deciding on a treatment strategy, respectively.
* * *
al·go·rithm (alґgə-rith-əm) 1. a step-by-step method of solving a problem or making decisions, as in making a diagnosis. 2. an established mechanical procedure for solving certain mathematical problems.Medical dictionary. 2011.