Application of Artificial Intelligence in Neck Ultrasound in the Era of Precision Medicine

Abstract

The importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical healthcare is increasingly becoming apparent. There is a rapid growth of scientific research in medical AI in the past years, from 1,623 studies in 2012 to 29,947 studies in 2021, and many of these studies are related to radiology. By 2023, the FDA has approved 700 AI healthcare algorithms and 527 (75.3%) are in radiology. In AI-empowered radiology, the application of AI in ultrasound imaging is emerging which includes ultrasound of liver, beast, thyroid gland, lymph node, etc. Ultrasound is commonly used for the evaluation of head and neck masses. In patients with thyroid nodules, ultrasound is used for the differentiation of benign and malignant nodules, and guiding fine-needle aspiration. Ultrasound is also a common imaging modality to assess neck lymph nodes in head and neck cancer patients. Various AI-empowered and computer-assisted diagnostic tools for ultrasound examination of thyroid nodules are available. AI-based algorithms for lymph node segmentation and classification in ultrasound images are emerging. They help clinicians improve diagnostic accuracy and guide patient management. In this talk, different AI-empowered diagnostic tools for thyroid and lymph node ultrasound imaging will be introduced and discussed.