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AI software can scan x-rays as soon as they are taken with at least 94% accuracy
Study believes AI could help doctors and help with NHS staff shortages
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Artificial intelligence could provide the “ultimate second opinion” because it is as good as doctors at analyzing X-rays, scientists say.
Tests that used artificial intelligence software on millions of old scans diagnosed conditions with at least the same accuracy as radiologists 94 percent of the time.
The joint study by the University of Warwick and King’s College London suggested it could be vital in avoiding human error when checking patient results.
AI software, which can scan X-rays as soon as they are taken, can understand the severity of each condition and flag the most urgent ones immediately.
The study’s authors suggested it could be used to detect X-rays, freeing up time for busy doctors to focus on more critical patients and helping to deal with chronic NHS staff shortages.
The researchers first fed the AI model, called X-Raydar, nearly three million historical chest scans from 1.5 million patients and then taught it to check for 37 possible conditions (file image).
A recent survey by the Royal College of Radiologists found that a lack of specialist staff was leading to longer waiting times and delays in treatment at almost all UK cancer treatment centres.
The researchers first fed the AI model, called X-Raydar, nearly three million historical chest scans from 1.5 million patients and then taught it to check for 37 possible conditions.
The software, which flags any abnormality with a percentage chance that it is present, was found to be “as accurate or more accurate than the doctor’s analysis” for 35 of 37 conditions.
Dr Giovanni Montana, professor of data science at Warwick and lead author, said: “This program has been trained on millions of X-rays and is very accurate.
Dr Giovanni Montana (pictured), professor of data science at Warwick, suggested the tool could also be used as a screening tool, allowing radiologists to focus on the most challenging and critical tests.
‘It eliminates the elements of human error, which is inevitable, and bias. If a patient is referred for an x-ray with a heart problem, doctors will inevitably focus on the heart above the lungs.
‘This is entirely understandable, but it risks undetected problems occurring in other areas. “This AI eliminates that human bias – it’s the ultimate second opinion.”
Since half of x-rays find no abnormalities, he suggested the tool could also be used as a screening tool, allowing radiologists to focus on the most challenging and critical tests.
Co-author Vicky Goh, a professor at King’s College London, said: “The AI programs we have at our disposal in the NHS are only limited in scope.” Comprehensive AI programs like this will be the future of medicine, with AI acting as a co-pilot for busy doctors.
“With the severe shortage of radiologists in the UK, programs like this will facilitate interpretation and reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment.”