Artificial Intelligence to Diagnose Birth Defects in Fetal Ultrasound Images

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can identify rare, life-threatening disorders and birth defects in fetal ultrasound scans, reveals a new study.

Can AI Read Ultrasound Images?

In a new proof-of-concept study led by Dr. Mark Walker at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, researchers are pioneering the use of a unique Artificial Intelligence-based deep learning model as an assistive tool for the rapid and accurate reading of ultrasound images.//

The goal of the team’s study was to demonstrate the potential for deep-learning architecture to support the early and reliable identification of cystic hygroma from first-trimester ultrasound scans.

Cystic hygroma is an embryonic condition that causes the lymphatic vascular system to develop abnormally. It’s a rare and potentially life-threatening disorder that leads to fluid swelling around the head and neck.

The birth defect can typically be easily diagnosed prenatally during an ultrasound appointment, but Dr. Walker – co-founder of the OMNI Research Group (Obstetrics, Maternal and Newborn Investigations) at The Ottawa Hospital – and his research group wanted to test how well AI-driven pattern recognition could do the job.

“What we demonstrated was in the field of ultrasound we’re able to use the same tools for image classification and identification with a high sensitivity and specificity,” says Dr. Walker, who believes their approach might be applied to other fetal anomalies generally identified by ultrasonography.

The findings were recently published in PLOS ONE, a peer-reviewed open-access journal.

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Source-Eurekalert