In multi-center neuroimaging studies, the technical variability caused by the batch differences could hinder the ability to aggregate data across sites, and negatively impact the reliability of study-level results. Recent efforts in neuroimaging harmonization have aimed to minimize these technical gaps and reduce technical variability across batches. While Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) has been a prominent method for addressing harmonization tasks, GAN-harmonized images suffer from artifacts or anatomical distortions. Given the advancements of denoising diffusion probabilistic model which produces high-fidelity images, we have assessed the efficacy of the diffusion model for neuroimaging harmonization. While GAN-based methods intrinsically transform imaging styles between two domains per model, we have demonstrated the diffusion model's superior capability in harmonizing images across multiple domains with single model. Our experiments highlight that the learned domain invariant anatomical condition reinforces the model to accurately preserve the anatomical details while differentiating batch differences at each diffusion step. Our proposed method has been tested using T1-weighted MRI images from two public neuroimaging datasets of ADNI1 and ABIDE II, yielding harmonization results with consistent anatomy preservation and superior FID score compared to the GAN-based methods. We have conducted multiple analyses including extensive quantitative and qualitative evaluations against the baseline models, ablation study showcasing the benefits of the learned domain invariant conditions, and improvements in the consistency of perivascular spaces segmentation analysis and volumetric analysis through harmonization.

Brain tumors pose a severe health risk, often leading to fatal outcomes if not detected early. While most studies focus on improving classification accuracy, this research emphasizes prediction certainty, quantified through loss values. Traditional metrics like accuracy and precision do not capture confidence in predictions, which is critical for medical applications. This study establishes a correlation between lower loss values and higher prediction certainty, ensuring more reliable tumor classification. We evaluate CNN, ResNet50, XceptionNet, and a Proposed Model (VGG19 with customized classification layers) using accuracy, precision, recall, and loss. Results show that while accuracy remains comparable across models, the Proposed Model achieves the best performance (96.95 % accuracy, 0.087 loss), outperforming others in both precision and recall. These findings demonstrate that certainty-aware AI models are essential for reliable clinical decision-making. This study highlights the potential of AI to bridge the shortage of medical professionals by integrating reliable diagnostic tools in healthcare. AI-powered systems can enhance early detection and improve patient outcomes, reinforcing the need for certainty-driven AI adoption in medical imaging.

Although there are notable structural abnormalities in the brain associated with psychotic diseases, it is still unclear how these abnormalities relate to clinical presentation. However, the fractal dimension (FD), which offers details on the complexity and irregularity of brain microstructures, may be a promising feature, as demonstrated by neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. It may offer a possible biomarker for the detection and prognosis of psychosis when paired with machine learning. The purpose of this study is to investigate FD as a structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) feature from individuals with a high clinical risk of psychosis who did not transit to psychosis (CHR_NT), clinical high risk who transit to psychosis (CHR_T), patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and healthy controls (HC). Using a machine learning approach that ultimately classifies sMRI images, the goals are (a) to evaluate FD as a potential biomarker and (b) to investigate its ability to predict a subsequent transition to psychosis from the high-risk clinical condition. We obtained sMRI images from 194 subjects, including 44 HCs, 77 FEPs, 16 CHR_Ts, and 57 CHR_NTs. We extracted the FD features and analyzed them using machine learning methods under five classification schemas (a) FEP vs. HC, (b) FEP vs. CHR_NT, (c) FEP vs. CHR_T, (d) CHR_NT vs. CHR_T, (d) CHR_NT vs. HC and (e) CHR_T vs. HC. In addition, the CHR_T group was used as external validation in (a), (b) and (d) comparisons to examine whether the progression of the disorder followed the FEP or CHR_NT patterns. The proposed algorithm resulted in a balanced accuracy greater than 0.77. This study has shown that FD can function as a predictive neuroimaging marker, providing fresh information on the microstructural alterations triggered throughout the course of psychosis. The effectiveness of FD in the detection of psychosis and transition to psychosis should be established by further research using larger datasets.

In radiotherapy, auto-segmentation tools using deep learning assist in contouring organs-at-risk (OARs). We developed a segmentation model for head and neck (HN) OARs dedicated to contrast-enhanced (CE) computed tomography (CT) using the segmentation software, Ai-Seg, and compared the performance between CE and non-CE (nCE) CT. The retrospective study recruited 321 patients with HN cancers and trained a segmentation model using CE CT (CE model). The CE model was installed in Ai-Seg and applied to additional 25 patients with CE and nCE CT. The Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and average Hausdorff distance (AHD) were calculated between the ground truth and Ai-Seg contours for brain, brainstem, chiasm, optic nerves, cochleae, oral cavity, parotid glands, pharyngeal constrictor muscle, and submandibular glands (SMGs). We compared the CE model and the existing model trained with nCE CT available in Ai-Seg for 6 OARs. The CE model obtained significantly higher DSCs on CE CT for parotid and SMGs compared to the existing model. The CE model provided significantly lower DSC values and higher AHD values on nCE CT for SMGs than on CE CT, but comparable values for other OARs. The CE model achieved significantly better performance than the existing model and can be used on nCE CT images without significant performance difference, except SMGs. Our results may facilitate the adoption of segmentation tools in clinical practice. We developed a segmentation model for HN OARs dedicated to CE CT using Ai-Seg and evaluated its usability on nCE CT.

Current study aimed to investigate radiomics features derived from two-center diffusion-MRI to differentiate benign and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) liver nodules. A total of 328 patients with 517 LI-RADS 2-5 nodules were included. MR images were retrospectively collected from 3 T and 1.5 T MRI vendors. Lesions were categorized into 242 benign and 275 HCC based on follow-up imaging for LR-2,3 and pathology results for LR4,5 nodules, and randomly divided into training (80%) and test (20%) sets. Preprocessing included resampling and normalization. Radiomics features were extracted from lesion volume-of-interest (VOI) on diffusion Images. Scanner variability was corrected using ComBat harmonization method followed by High-correlation filter, PCA filter, and LASSO to select important features. Best classifier model was selected by 10-fold cross-validation, and accuracy was assessed on the test dataset. 1,434 features were extracted, and subsequent classifiers were constructed based on the 16 most important selected features. Notably, support-vector machine (SVM) demonstrated better performance in the test dataset in distinguishing between benign and HCC nodules, achieving an accuracy of 0.92, sensitivity of 0.94, and specificity of 0.86. Utilizing diffusion-MRI radiomics, our study highlights the performance of SVM, trained on lesions' diffusivity characteristics, in distinguishing benign and HCC nodules, ensuring clinical potential. It is suggested that further evaluations be conducted on multi-center datasets to address harmonization challenges. Integration of diffusion radiomics, for monitoring water restriction patterns as tumor histopathological index, with machine learning models demonstrates potential for achieving a reliable noninvasive method to improve the current diagnosis criteria.

Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) stands as one of the preeminent hip disorders prevalent in pediatric orthopedics. Automated diagnostic instruments, driven by artificial intelligence methodologies, are capable of providing substantial assistance to clinicians in the diagnosis of DDH. We have developed a dataset designated as Multitasking DDH (MTDDH), which is composed of two sub-datasets. Dataset 1 encompasses 1,250 pelvic X-ray images, with annotations demarcating four discrete regions for the evaluation of pelvic X-ray quality, in tandem with eight pivotal points serving as support for DDH diagnosis. Dataset 2 contains 906 pelvic X-ray images, and each image has been annotated with eight key points for assisting in the diagnosis of DDH. Notably, MTDDH represents the pioneering dataset engineered for the comprehensive evaluation of pelvic X-ray quality while concurrently offering the most exhaustive set of eight key points to bolster DDH diagnosis, thus fulfilling the exigency for enhanced diagnostic precision. Ultimately, we presented the elaborate process of constructing the MTDDH and furnished a concise introduction regarding its application.

Structural remodeling of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is characteristic of atrial fibrillation (AF), and LAA morphology impacts radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) outcomes. In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a predictive model for AF ablation outcomes using LAA morphological features, deep learning (DL) radiomics, and clinical variables. In this multicenter retrospective study, 480 consecutive patients who underwent RFCA for AF at three tertiary hospitals between January 2016 and December 2022 were analyzed, with follow-up through December 2023. Preprocedural CT angiography (CTA) images and laboratory data were systematically collected. LAA segmentation was performed using an nnUNet-based model, followed by radiomic feature extraction. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis assessed the relationship between AF recurrence and LAA volume. The dataset was randomly split into training (70%) and validation (30%) cohorts using stratified sampling. An AF recurrence prediction model integrating LAA DL radiomics with clinical variables was developed. The cohort had a median follow-up of 22 months (IQR 15-32), with 103 patients (21.5%) experiencing AF recurrence. The nnUNet segmentation model achieved a Dice coefficient of 0.89. Multivariate analysis showed that LAA volume was associated with a 5.8% increase in hazard risk per unit increase (aHR 1.058, 95% CI 1.021-1.095; p = 0.002). The model combining LAA DL radiomics with clinical variables demonstrated an AUC of 0.92 (95% CI 0.87-0.96) in the test set, maintaining robust predictive performance across subgroups. LAA morphology and volume are strongly linked to AF RFCA outcomes. We developed an LAA segmentation network and a predictive model that combines DL radiomics and clinical variables to estimate the probability of AF recurrence.

Muscle wasting in critically ill patients, particularly those with prolonged hospitalization, poses a significant challenge to recovery and long-term outcomes. The aim of this study was to characterize long-term muscle wasting trajectories in ICU patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19 and acute pancreatitis (AP), to evaluate correlations between muscle wasting and patient outcomes, and to identify clinically feasible thresholds that have the potential to enhance patient care strategies. A collective of 154 ICU patients (100 AP and 54 COVID-19 ARDS) with a minimum ICU stay of 10 days and at least three abdominal CT scans were retrospectively analyzed. AI-driven segmentation of CT scans quantified changes in psoas muscle area (PMA). A mixed model analysis was used to assess the correlation between mortality and muscle wasting, Cox regression was applied to identify potential predictors of survival. Muscle loss rates, survival thresholds and outcome correlations were assessed using Kaplan-Meier and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. Muscle loss in ICU patients was most pronounced in the first two weeks, peaking at -2.42% and - 2.39% psoas muscle area (PMA) loss per day in weeks 1 and 2, respectively, followed by a progressive decline. The median total PMA loss was 48.3%, with significantly greater losses in non-survivors. Mixed model analysis confirmed correlation of muscle wasting with mortality. Cox regression identified visceral adipose tissue (VAT), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score and muscle wasting as significant risk factors, while increased skeletal muscle area (SMA) was protective. ROC and Kaplan-Meier analyses showed strong correlations between PMA loss thresholds and survival, with daily loss > 4% predicting the worst survival (39.7%). To our knowledge, This is the first study to highlight the substantial progression of muscle wasting in prolonged hospitalized ICU patients. The mortality-related thresholds for muscle wasting rates identified in this study may provide a basis for clinical risk stratification. Future research should validate these findings in larger cohorts and explore strategies to mitigate muscle loss. Not applicable.

Microcephaly and macrocephaly, which are abnormal congenital markers, are associated with developmental and neurologic deficits. Hence, there is a medically imperative need to conduct ultrasound imaging early on. However, resource-limited countries such as Ethiopia are confronted with inadequacies such that access to trained personnel and diagnostic machines inhibits the exact and continuous diagnosis from being met. This study aims to develop a fetal head abnormality detection model from ultrasound images via deep learning. Data were collected from three Ethiopian healthcare facilities to increase model generalizability. The recruitment period for this study started on November 9, 2024, and ended on November 30, 2024. Several preprocessing techniques have been performed, such as augmentation, noise reduction, and normalization. SegNet, UNet, FCN, MobileNetV2, and EfficientNet-B0 were applied to segment and measure fetal head structures using ultrasound images. The measurements were classified as microcephaly, macrocephaly, or normal using WHO guidelines for gestational age, and then the model performance was compared with that of existing industry experts. The metrics used for evaluation included accuracy, precision, recall, the F1 score, and the Dice coefficient. This study was able to demonstrate the feasibility of using SegNet for automatic segmentation, measurement of abnormalities of the fetal head, and classification of macrocephaly and microcephaly, with an accuracy of 98% and a Dice coefficient of 0.97. Compared with industry experts, the model achieved accuracies of 92.5% and 91.2% for the BPD and HC measurements, respectively. Deep learning models can enhance prenatal diagnosis workflows, especially in resource-constrained settings. Future work needs to be done on optimizing model performance, trying complex models, and expanding datasets to improve generalizability. If these technologies are adopted, they can be used in prenatal care delivery. Not applicable.

This paper presents a deep learning model for the automated segmentation of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). The model was trained using treatment planning data from 199 Gamma Knife (GK) exams, comprising 171 cases with a single CCM and 28 cases with multiple CCMs. The training data included initial MRI images with target CCM regions manually annotated by neurosurgeons. For the extraction of data related to the brain parenchyma, we employed a mask region-based convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN). Subsequently, this data was processed using a 3D convolutional neural network known as DeepMedic. The efficacy of the brain parenchyma extraction model was demonstrated via five-fold cross-validation, resulting in an average Dice similarity coefficient of 0.956 ± 0.002. The segmentation models used for CCMs achieved average Dice similarity coefficients of 0.741 ± 0.028 based solely on T2W images. The Dice similarity coefficients for the segmentation of CCMs types were as follows: Zabramski Classification type I (0.743), type II (0.742), and type III (0.740). We also developed a user-friendly graphical user interface to facilitate the use of these models in clinical analysis. This paper presents a deep learning model for the automated segmentation of CCMs, demonstrating sufficient performance across various Zabramski classifications. not applicable.