Accurately segmenting the pancreas from abdominal computed tomography (CT) images is crucial for detecting and managing pancreatic diseases, such as diabetes and tumors. Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome are associated with pancreatic fat accumulation. Calculating the fat fraction aids in the investigation of β-cell malfunction and insulin resistance. The most widely used pancreas segmentation technique is a U-shaped network based on deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs). They struggle to capture long-range biases in an image because they rely on local receptive fields. This research proposes a novel dual Self-attentive Transformer Unet (DSTUnet) model for accurate pancreatic segmentation, addressing this problem. This model incorporates dual self-attention Swin transformers on both the encoder and decoder sides to facilitate global context extraction and refine candidate regions. After segmenting the pancreas using a DSTUnet, a histogram analysis is used to estimate the fat fraction. The suggested method demonstrated excellent performance on the standard dataset, achieving a DSC of 93.7% and an HD of 2.7 mm. The average volume of the pancreas was 92.42, and its fat volume fraction (FVF) was 13.37%.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that begins with subtle cognitive changes and advances to severe impairment. Early diagnosis is crucial for effective intervention and management. In this study, we propose an integrated framework that leverages ensemble transfer learning, generative modeling, and automatic ROI extraction techniques to predict the progression of Alzheimer's disease from cognitively normal (CN) subjects. Using the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset, we employ a three-stage process: (1) estimating the probability of transitioning from CN to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using ensemble transfer learning, (2) generating future MRI images using Transformer-based Generative Adversarial Network (ViT-GANs) to simulate disease progression after two years, and (3) predicting AD using a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) with calibrated probabilities using isotonic regression and interpreting critical regions of interest (ROIs) with Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM). However, the proposed method has generality and may work when sufficient data for simulating brain changes after three years or more is available; in the training phase, regarding available data, brain changes after 2 years have been considered. Our approach addresses the challenge of limited longitudinal data by creating high-quality synthetic images and improving model transparency by identifying key brain regions involved in disease progression. The proposed method demonstrates high accuracy and F1-score, 0.85 and 0.86, respectively, in CN to AD prediction up to 10 years, offering a potential tool for early diagnosis and personalized intervention strategies in Alzheimer's disease.

This Perspective article explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in predicting perioperative hypoxemia through the integration of deep learning (DL) with multimodal clinical data, including lung imaging, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis. Perioperative hypoxemia, defined as arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO₂) <60 mmHg or oxygen saturation (SpO₂) <90%, poses significant risks of delayed recovery and organ dysfunction. Traditional diagnostic methods, such as radiological imaging and ABG analysis, often lack integrated predictive accuracy. AI frameworks, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and hybrid models like TD-CNNLSTM-LungNet, demonstrate exceptional performance in detecting pulmonary inflammation and stratifying hypoxemia risk, achieving up to 96.57% accuracy in pneumonia subtype differentiation and an AUC of 0.96 for postoperative hypoxemia prediction. Multimodal AI systems, such as DeepLung-Predict, unify CT scans, PFTs, and ABG parameters to enhance predictive precision, surpassing conventional methods by 22%. However, challenges persist, including dataset heterogeneity, model interpretability, and clinical workflow integration. Future directions emphasize multicenter validation, explainable AI (XAI) frameworks, and pragmatic trials to ensure equitable and reliable deployment. This AI-driven approach not only optimizes resource allocation but also mitigates financial burdens on healthcare systems by enabling early interventions and reducing ICU admission risks.

Cervical cancer commonly associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, remains the fourth most common cancer in women globally. This study aims to develop and evaluate a Natural Language Processing (NLP) system to identify and analyze cervical cancer incidence trends from 2013 to 2023 at our institution, focusing on age-specific variations and evaluating the possible impact of HPV vaccination. This retrospective cohort study, we analyzed unstructured radiology reports collected between 2013 and 2023, comprising 433,207 studies involving 250,181 women who underwent CT, MRI, or ultrasound scans of the abdominopelvic region. A rule-based NLP system was developed to extract references to cervical cancer from these reports and validated against a set of 200 manually annotated cases reviewed by an experienced radiologist. The NLP system demonstrated excellent performance, achieving an accuracy of over 99.5 %. This high reliability enabled its application in a large-scale population study. Results show that the women under 30 maintain a consistently low cervical cancer incidence, likely reflecting early HPV vaccination impact. The 30-40 cohorts declined until 2020, followed by a slight increase, while the 40-60 groups exhibited an overall downward trend with fluctuations, suggesting long-term vaccine effects. Incidence in patients over 60 also declined, though with greater variability, possibly due to other risk factors. The developed NLP system effectively identified cervical cancer cases from unstructured radiology reports, facilitating an accurate analysis of the impact of HPV vaccination on cervical cancer prevalence and imaging study requirements. This approach demonstrates the potential of AI and NLP tools in enhancing data accuracy and efficiency in medical epidemiology research. NLP-based approaches can significantly improve the collection and analysis of epidemiological data on cervical cancer, supporting the development of more targeted and personalized prevention strategies-particularly in populations with heterogeneous HPV vaccination coverage.

This study aims to improve the accuracy of distinguishing Tuberculous Spondylitis (TBS) from Brucella Spondylitis (BS) by developing radiomics models using Deep Learning and CT images enhanced with Super-Resolution (SR). A total of 94 patients diagnosed with BS or TBS were randomly divided into training (n=65) and validation (n=29) groups in a 7:3 ratio. In the training set, there were 40 BS and 25 TBS patients, with a mean age of 58.34 ± 12.53 years. In the validation set, there were 17 BS and 12 TBS patients, with a mean age of 58.48 ± 12.29 years. Standard CT images were enhanced using SR, improving spatial resolution and image quality. The lesion regions (ROIs) were manually segmented, and radiomics features were extracted. ResNet18 and ResNet34 were used for deep learning feature extraction and model training. Four multi-layer perceptron (MLP) models were developed: clinical, radiomics (Rad), deep learning (DL), and a combined model. Model performance was assessed using five-fold cross-validation, ROC, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Statistical significance was assessed, with key clinical and imaging features showing significant differences between TBS and BS (e.g., gender, p=0.0038; parrot beak appearance, p<0.001; dead bone, p<0.001; deformities of the spinal posterior process, p=0.0044; psoas abscess, p<0.001). The combined model outperformed others, achieving the highest AUC (0.952), with ResNet34 and SR-enhanced images further boosting performance. Sensitivity reached 0.909, and Specificity was 0.941. DCA confirmed clinical applicability. The integration of SR-enhanced CT imaging and deep learning radiomics appears to improve diagnostic differentiation between BS and TBS. The combined model, especially when using ResNet34 and GAN-based super-resolution, demonstrated better predictive performance. High-resolution imaging may facilitate better lesion delineation and more robust feature extraction. Nevertheless, further validation with larger, multicenter cohorts is needed to confirm generalizability and reduce potential bias from retrospective design and imaging heterogeneity. This study suggests that integrating Deep Learning Radiomics with Super-Resolution may improve the differentiation between TBS and BS compared to standard CT imaging. However, prospective multi-center studies are necessary to validate its clinical applicability.

Ultrasound (US) is the preferred modality for assessing anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) injuries. We aimed to advance ATFL injuries classification by developing a US-based deep learning (DL) model, and explore how artificial intelligence (AI) could help radiologists improve diagnostic performance. Consecutive healthy controls and patients with acute ATFL injuries (mild strain, partial tear, complete tear, and avulsion fracture) at 10 hospitals were retrospectively included. A US-based DL model (ATFLNet) was trained (n=2566), internally validated (n=642), and externally validated (n=717 and 493). Surgical or radiological findings based on the majority consensus of three experts served as the reference standard. Prospective validation was conducted at three additional hospitals (n=472). The performance was compared to that of 12 radiologists at different levels (external validation sets 1 and 2); an ATFLNet-aided strategy was developed, comparing with the radiologists when reviewing B-mode images (external validation set 2); the strategy was then tested in a simulated scenario (reviewing images alongside dynamic clips; prospective validation set). Statistical comparisons were performed using the McNemar's test, while inter-reader agreement was evaluated with the Multireader Fleiss κ statistic. ATFLNet obtained macro-average area under the curve ≥0.970 across all five classes in each dataset, indicating robust overall performance. Additionally, it consistently outperformed senior radiologists in external validation sets (all p<.05). ATFLNet-aided strategy improved radiologists' average accuracy (0.707 vs. 0.811, p<.001) for image review. In the simulated scenario, it led to enhanced accuracy (0.794 to 0.864, p=.003), and a reduction in diagnostic variability, particularly for junior radiologists. Our US-based model outperformed human experts for ATFL injury evaluation. AI-aided strategies hold the potential to enhance diagnostic performance in real-world clinical scenarios.

This study aimed to develop a deep learning radiomics nomogram (DLRN) that integrated B-mode ultrasound (BMUS) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) images for preoperative lymphovascular invasion (LVI) prediction in invasive breast cancer (IBC). Total 981 patients with IBC from three hospitals were retrospectively enrolled. Of 834 patients recruited from Hospital I, 688 were designated as the training cohort and 146 as the internal test cohort, whereas 147 patients from Hospitals II and III were assigned to constitute the external test cohort. Deep learning and handcrafted radiomics features of BMUS and CEUS images were extracted from breast cancer to construct a deep learning radiomics (DLR) signature. The DLRN was developed by integrating the DLR signature and independent clinicopathological parameters. The performance of the DLRN is evaluated with respect to discrimination, calibration, and clinical benefit. The DLRN exhibited good performance in predicting LVI, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of 0.885 (95% confidence interval [CI,0.858-0.912), 0.914 (95% CI, 0.868-0.960) and 0.914 (95% CI, 0.867-0.960) in the training, internal test, and external test cohorts, respectively. The DLRN exhibited good stability and clinical practicability, as demonstrated by the calibration curve and decision curve analysis. In addition, the DLRN outperformed the traditional clinical model and the DLR signature for LVI prediction in the internal and external test cohorts (all p < 0.05). The DLRN exhibited good performance in predicting LVI, representing a non-invasive approach to preoperatively determining LVI status in IBC.

Lacunes, which are small fluid-filled cavities in the brain, are signs of cerebral small vessel disease and have been clinically associated with various neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases. Hence, accurate detection of lacunes is crucial and is one of the initial steps for the precise diagnosis of these diseases. However, developing a robust and consistently reliable method for detecting lacunes is challenging because of the heterogeneity in their appearance, contrast, shape, and size. In this study, we propose a lacune detection method using the Segment Anything Model (SAM), guided by point prompts from a candidate prompt generator. The prompt generator initially detects potential lacunes with a high sensitivity using a composite loss function. The true lacunes are then selected using SAM by discriminating their characteristics from mimics such as the sulcus and enlarged perivascular spaces, imitating the clinicians' strategy of examining the potential lacunes along all three axes. False positives are further reduced by adaptive thresholds based on the region wise prevalence of lacunes. We evaluated our method on two diverse, multi-centric MRI datasets, VALDO and ISLES, comprising only FLAIR sequences. Despite diverse imaging conditions and significant variations in slice thickness (0.5-6 mm), our method achieved sensitivities of 84% and 92%, with average false positive rates of 0.05 and 0.06 per slice in ISLES and VALDO datasets respectively. The proposed method demonstrates robust performance across varied imaging conditions and outperformed the state-of-the-art methods, demonstrating its effectiveness in lacune detection and quantification.

To evaluate the effectiveness of AI-based chest Computed Tomography (CT) in a Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment (MDT) model for differentiating benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. This retrospective study screened a total of 87 patients with pulmonary nodules who were treated between January 2019 and December 2020 at Binzhou People's Hospital, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, and Laiwu People's Hospital. AI analysis, MDT consultation, and a combined diagnostic approach were assessed using postoperative pathology as the reference standard. Among 87 nodules, 69 (79.31 %) were malignant, and 18 (20.69 %) were benign. AI analysis showed moderate agreement with pathology (κ = 0.637, p < 0.05), while MDT and the combined approach demonstrated higher consistency (κ = 0.847, 0.888, p < 0.05). Sensitivity and specificity were as follows: AI (89.86 %, 77.78 %, AUC = 0.838), MDT (100 %, 77.78 %, AUC = 0.889), and the combined approach (100 %, 83.33 %, AUC = 0.917). The accuracy of the combined method (96.55 %) was superior to MDT (95.40 %) and AI alone (87.36 %) (p < 0.05). AI-based chest CT combined with MDT may improve diagnostic accuracy and shows potential for broader clinical application.

To evaluate the performance of artificial intelligence (AI)-based coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) on non-electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated chest CT, using manual quantification as the reference standard, while characterizing per-vessel reliability and clinical risk classification impacts. Retrospective study of 290 patients (June 2023-2024) with paired non-ECG-gated chest CT and ECG-gated cardiac CT (median time was 2 days). AI-based CACS and manual CACS (CACS_man) were compared using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted Cohen's kappa (3,1). Error types, anatomical distributions, and CACS of the lesions of individual arteries or segments were assessed in accordance with the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) guidelines. The total CACS of chest CT demonstrated excellent concordance with CACS_man (ICC = 0.87, 95 % CI 0.84-0.90). Non-ECG-gated chest showed a 7.5-fold increased risk misclassification rate compared to ECG-gated cardiac CT (41.4 % vs. 5.5 %), with 35.5 % overclassification and 5.9 % underclassification. Vessel-specific analysis revealed paradoxical reliability of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) due to stent misclassification in four cases (ICC = 0.93 on chest CT vs 0.82 on cardiac CT), while the right coronary artery (RCA) demonstrated suboptimal performance with ICCs ranging from 0.60 to 0.68. Chest CT exhibited higher false-positive (1.9 % vs 0.5 %) and false-negative rates (14.4 % vs 4.3 %). False positive mainly derived from image noise in proximal LAD/RCA (median CACS 5.97 vs 3.45) and anatomical error, while false negatives involved RCA microcalcifications (median CACS 2.64). AI-based non-ECG-gated chest CT demonstrates utility for opportunistic screening but requires protocol optimization to address vessel-specific limitations and mitigate 41.4 % risk misclassification rates.