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Xu D, Sui L, Zhang C, Xiong J, Wang VY, Zhou Y, Zhu X, Chen C, Zhao Y, Xie Y, Kong W, Yao J, Xu L, Zhai Y, Wang L. The clinical value of artificial intelligence in assisting junior radiologists in thyroid ultrasound: a multicenter prospective study from real clinical practice. BMC Med 2024; 22:293. [PMID: 38992655 PMCID: PMC11241898 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03510-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study is to propose a clinically applicable 2-echelon (2e) diagnostic criteria for the analysis of thyroid nodules such that low-risk nodules are screened off while only suspicious or indeterminate ones are further examined by histopathology, and to explore whether artificial intelligence (AI) can provide precise assistance for clinical decision-making in the real-world prospective scenario. METHODS In this prospective study, we enrolled 1036 patients with a total of 2296 thyroid nodules from three medical centers. The diagnostic performance of the AI system, radiologists with different levels of experience, and AI-assisted radiologists with different levels of experience in diagnosing thyroid nodules were evaluated against our proposed 2e diagnostic criteria, with the first being an arbitration committee consisting of 3 senior specialists and the second being cyto- or histopathology. RESULTS According to the 2e diagnostic criteria, 1543 nodules were classified by the arbitration committee, and the benign and malignant nature of 753 nodules was determined by pathological examinations. Taking pathological results as the evaluation standard, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the AI systems were 0.826, 0.815, 0.821, and 0.821. For those cases where diagnosis by the Arbitration Committee were taken as the evaluation standard, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and AUC of the AI system were 0.946, 0.966, 0.964, and 0.956. Taking the global 2e diagnostic criteria as the gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and AUC of the AI system were 0.868, 0.934, 0.917, and 0.901, respectively. Under different criteria, AI was comparable to the diagnostic performance of senior radiologists and outperformed junior radiologists (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, AI assistance significantly improved the performance of junior radiologists in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules, and their diagnostic performance was comparable to that of senior radiologists when pathological results were taken as the gold standard (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The proposed 2e diagnostic criteria are consistent with real-world clinical evaluations and affirm the applicability of the AI system. Under the 2e criteria, the diagnostic performance of the AI system is comparable to that of senior radiologists and significantly improves the diagnostic capabilities of junior radiologists. This has the potential to reduce unnecessary invasive diagnostic procedures in real-world clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Xu
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Wenling Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Lin Sui
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Wenling Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Chunquan Zhang
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Jing Xiong
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Vicky Yang Wang
- Wenling Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Yahan Zhou
- Wenling Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Xinying Zhu
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Wenling Institute of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Yiting Xie
- Demetics Medical Technology Co. Ltd., Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Weizhen Kong
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Jincao Yao
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Lei Xu
- Zhejiang Qiushi Institute for Mathematical Medicine, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
- Present address: Division of Medical Imaging and Technology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Yuxia Zhai
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Guangdong, 515041, China.
| | - Liping Wang
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
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Giovanella L, Campennì A, Tuncel M, Petranović Ovčariček P. Integrated Diagnostics of Thyroid Nodules. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:311. [PMID: 38254799 PMCID: PMC10814240 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Thyroid nodules are common findings, particularly in iodine-deficient regions. Our paper aims to revise different diagnostic tools available in clinical thyroidology and propose their rational integration. We will elaborate on the pros and cons of thyroid ultrasound (US) and its scoring systems, thyroid scintigraphy, fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), molecular imaging, and artificial intelligence (AI). Ultrasonographic scoring systems can help differentiate between benign and malignant nodules. Depending on the constellation or number of suspicious ultrasound features, a FNAC is recommended. However, hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules are presumed to exclude malignancy with a very high negative predictive value (NPV). Particularly in regions where iodine supply is low, most hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules are seen in patients with normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. Thyroid scintigraphy is essential for the detection of these nodules. Among non-toxic thyroid nodules, a careful application of US risk stratification systems is pivotal to exclude inappropriate FNAC and guide the procedure on suspicious ones. However, almost one-third of cytology examinations are rendered as indeterminate, requiring "diagnostic surgery" to provide a definitive diagnosis. 99mTc-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile ([99mTc]Tc-MIBI) and [18F]fluoro-deoxy-glucose ([18F]FDG) molecular imaging can spare those patients from unnecessary surgeries. The clinical value of AI in the evaluation of thyroid nodules needs to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Giovanella
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Gruppo Ospedaliero Moncucco SA, Clinica Moncucco, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
- Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Zürich, 8004 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Alfredo Campennì
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morpho-Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy;
| | - Murat Tuncel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06230 Ankara, Turkey;
| | - Petra Petranović Ovčariček
- Department of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Center Sestre Milosrdnice, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia;
- School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
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