The ability of Micropure® ultrasound technique to identify microcalcifications in carotid plaques

Economics of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Diagnosis vs. Treatment

Motivation: The price of medical treatment continues to rise due to (i) an increasing population; (ii) an aging human growth; (iii) disease prevalence; (iv) a rise in the frequency of patients that utilize health care services; and (v) increase in the price. Objective: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already well-known for its superiority in various healthcare applications, including the segmentation of lesions in images, speech recognition, smartphone personal assistants, navigation, ride-sharing apps, and many more. Our study is based on two hypotheses: (i) AI offers more economic solutions compared to conventional methods; (ii) AI treatment offers stronger economics compared to AI diagnosis. This novel study aims to evaluate AI technology in the context of healthcare costs, namely in the areas of diagnosis and treatment, and then compare it to the traditional or non-AI-based approaches. Methodology: PRISMA was used to select the best 200 studies for AI in healthcare with a primary focus on cost reduction, especially towards diagnosis and treatment. We defined the diagnosis and treatment architectures, investigated their characteristics, and categorized the roles that AI plays in the diagnostic and therapeutic paradigms. We experimented with various combinations of different assumptions by integrating AI and then comparing it against conventional costs. Lastly, we dwell on three powerful future concepts of AI, namely, pruning, bias, explainability, and regulatory approvals of AI systems. Conclusions: The model shows tremendous cost savings using AI tools in diagnosis and treatment. The economics of AI can be improved by incorporating pruning, reduction in AI bias, explainability, and regulatory approvals.

Usability of Ultrasonic MicroPure Imaging for Evaluating the Vulnerability of Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaques

OBJECTIVE

MicroPure is an ultrasound imaging technology used for detecting microcalcifications. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the Firefly sign in ultrasonic MicroPure imaging for detecting the vulnerability of carotid plaques.

METHODS

Ultrasonic grey-scale imaging was used to detect carotid plaques. Ultrasonic MicroPure imaging was used to detect the Firefly sign and to determine the location and number of Firefly signs.

RESULTS

A total of 142 plaques were detected in 72 patients, and 62.0% were Firefly-positive plaques. The length or thickness, the risk of rupture and the percentage of vulnerable plaques were greater in the Firefly-positive plaques than in Firefly-negative plaques. The assessment of plaque vulnerability built on the 4-point Firefly scoring system showed that the area under the ROC curve was 0.750 (P < .001). The sensitivity and specificity of vulnerable plaques with a score of 2 points were 71.9 and 73.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The Firefly signs are widely present in carotid atherosclerotic plaques and can be detected with ultrasonic MicroPure imaging. Firefly signs located in fibrous caps may be associated with plaque vulnerability.