Cardiologists find AI to be more accurate than sonographers at interpreting echocardiograms

"An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm interpreted transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs) with more accuracy than trained sonographers, according to new research published in Nature.[1]

The study was a blinded, randomized trial that asked cardiologists to review 3,495 TTEs from 3,035 patients. The cardiologists were asked if they agreed with these initial assessments and if they had any corrections to offer.

Overall, cardiologists made corrections to 16.8% of AI-generated assessments and 27.2% of sonographer assessments. Also, an AI-guided workflow was associated with saving both sonographers and cardiologists time compared to a more traditional workflow.

“The results have immediate implications for patients undergoing cardiac function imaging as well as broader implications for the field of cardiac imaging,” senior author David Ouyang, MD, a cardiologist with the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, said in a prepared statement. “This trial offers rigorous evidence that utilizing AI in this novel way can improve the quality and effectiveness of echocardiogram imaging for many patients.”..." Lire la suite