RESUMO
An expert system shell with some artificial intelligence technology capability was used to produce a medical expert system program [Rheumatologist 2.0] for the diagnosis of peripheral arthropathies. Published clinical data [symptoms and signs] about the various diseases causing peripheral joint arthropathy from different medical textbooks were reviewed and selected. These data constituted the diagnostic criteria for each of the diseases included in the rheumatologist 2.0 program. This program was tested on 100 patients presenting with arthritis to the Outpatient Clinic of the Rheumatology and Immunology Unit in the medical department of Cairo University by comparing diagnoses produced by it to those produced by practicing physicians. The results showed that this program performed almost equally well as trained physicians in the initial phase