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Deep learning with ultrasonography: automated classification of liver fibrosis using a deep convolutional neural network

  • Imaging Informatics and Artificial Intelligence
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to develop a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) for the prediction of the METAVIR score using B-mode ultrasonography images.

Methods

Datasets from two tertiary academic referral centers were used. A total of 13,608 ultrasonography images from 3446 patients who underwent surgical resection, biopsy, or transient elastography were used for training a DCNN for the prediction of the METAVIR score. Pathological specimens or estimated METAVIR scores derived from transient elastography were used as a reference standard. A four-class model (F0 vs. F1 vs. F23 vs. F4) was developed. Diagnostic performance of the algorithm was validated on a separate internal test set of 266 patients with 300 images and external test set of 572 patients with 1232 images. Performance in classification of cirrhosis was compared between the DCNN and five radiologists.

Results

The accuracy of the four-class model was 83.5% and 76.4% on the internal and external test set, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for classification of cirrhosis (F4) was 0.901 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.865–0.937) on the internal test set and 0.857 (95% CI, 0.825–0.889) on the external test set, respectively. The AUC of the DCNN for classification of cirrhosis (0.857) was significantly higher than that of all five radiologists (AUC range, 0.656–0.816; p value < 0.05) using the external test set.

Conclusions

The DCNN showed high accuracy for determining METAVIR score using ultrasonography images and achieved better performance than that of radiologists in the diagnosis of cirrhosis.

Key Points

• DCNN accurately classified the ultrasonography images according to the METAVIR score.

• The AUROC of this algorithm for cirrhosis assessment was significantly higher than that of radiologists.

• DCNN using US images may offer an alternative tool for monitoring liver fibrosis.

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Abbreviations

AUC:

Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve

CI:

Confidence interval

CLD:

Chronic liver disease

CT:

Computed tomography

DCNN:

Deep convolutional neural network

DICOM:

Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine

MR:

Magnetic resonance

SMC:

Samsung Medical Center

SNUH:

Seoul National University Hospital

TE:

Transient elastography

US:

Ultrasonography

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Samsung Medical Center (Grant #PHO0132251) and technical support was provided by Samsung Medison and Samsung Electronics (Seoul, Republic of Korea).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06351, Republic of Korea

    Jeong Hyun Lee & Tae Wook Kang

  2. Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Ijin Joo

  3. Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Yong Han Paik & Dong Hyun Sinn

  4. Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Sang Yun Ha

  5. Statistics and Data Center, Research Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Kyunga Kim

  6. Medical Imaging R&D Group, Health & Medical Equipment Business, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Choonghwan Choi, Gunwoo Lee, Jonghyon Yi & Won-Chul Bang

Authors
  1. Jeong Hyun Lee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tae Wook Kang.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Won Jae Lee.

Conflict of interest

Won-Chul Bang, Jonghyun Yi, Gunwoo Lee, and Choonghwan Choi received support in the form of salaries from Samsung Electronics. All other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Statistics and biometry

One (Kyunga Kim) of the authors has significant statistical expertise.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board.

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.

Methodology

• retrospective

• diagnostic or prognostic study

• multicenter study

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Lee, J.H., Joo, I., Kang, T.W. et al. Deep learning with ultrasonography: automated classification of liver fibrosis using a deep convolutional neural network. Eur Radiol 30, 1264–1273 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-019-06407-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-019-06407-1

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