A team of researchers from Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, including Assistant Professor Hideaki Kinugasa, Doctor Shumpei Yamamoto, Professor Sakiko Hiraoka, and Professor Yoshiro Kawahara conducted a pilot study to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) system that classifies IBDN lesions accurately. Researcher compared the diagnostic ability of endoscopists with that of the new AI system.

Figure 1: AI identifies IBD accurately.

Figure 1 shows thatthe team used a conventional neural network (CNN)—a type of neural network used for the analysis of visual imagery—known as Efficient-Net-B3, to develop the AI-system’s prototype.

They trained this system using 862 endoscopic images of 99 IBDN lesions from patients with IBD derived from two hospitals between 2003 and 2021, and validated it using a deep-learning framework. [1]

Next, researchers asked endoscopists with more than 8 years of experience in gastrointestinal endoscopy to analyze the images and classify the lesions into two types. One of those types can sometimes cause a doctor to recommend a proctocolectomy — the surgical removal of the majority of the large intestine.

Through the pilot study, scientists found the AI system provided an image-based diagnostic ability Trusted Source of 64% sensitivity, 89% specificity, and 80% accuracy. The AI system also had a lesion-based diagnostic ability of 74% sensitivity, 85% specificity, and 80% accuracy.

Additionally, researchers found the AI system had a 79% accuracy rate when diagnosing the lesion images, while the human endoscopists had a 77% accuracy rate. [2]The team also highlighted that combining this AI-based automatic diagnosis of neoplastic lesions with existing endoscopic diagnostic techniques might provide superior diagnostic results in real-time.

While discussing the system's additional advantages and real-life applications, Assistant Prof. Kinugasa added, "Using this AI-system can ensure that endoscopists do not misdiagnose IBD neoplastic lesions, patients receive prompt treatment, and more appropriate treatment strategies are developed and applied for early as well as advanced stages of IBD."

Here's hoping that this AI-system revolutionizes the diagnosis of IBD-associated neoplasia and improves the lives of patients with IBD in Japan and the rest of the world! [3]

References:

1. https://www.technologynetworks.com/cancer-research/news/ai-diagnoses-pre-cancerous-growth-associated-with-inflammatory-bowel-disease-363680
2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/condition-alert-ai-model-diagnoses-and-classifies-neoplastic-lesions-in-ibd-patients-with-high-accuracy#AI-and-IBD
3. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220713114639.htm

Cite this article:

Sri Vasagi K (2022), AI Used to Diagnose Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Anatechmaz, pp.166