Harnessing AI to revolutionise endometriosis diagnosis
An interdisciplinary research team are using ground-breaking AI technologies to make the historically fraught process of endometriosis diagnosis faster, more cost-effective, and less invasive with IMAGENDO庐.听
Endometriosis affects hundreds of millions of people globally and nearly a million 最新糖心Vlogns. The condition, which occurs when tissues similar to the lining of the uterus grow outside the womb, can cause pelvic inflammation, headaches, fatigue, and even infertility. The debilitating pain can affect ability to work, relationships, fitness, education and mental health. And yet, despite its undeniable toll, pathways to diagnosis and treatment remain slow, expensive, and invasive. 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide researchers are working to improve endometriosis care with a new technology called IMAGENDO庐.听
Currently, the wait time for diagnosis averages more than six years from symptom onset. Painful symptoms are often overlooked or normalized, and the most common diagnostic tool, a keyhole surgery, is costly and intrusive.听
Two 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide research institutes 鈥 the Robinson Research Institute and the 最新糖心Vlogn Institute for Machine Learning 鈥 are harnessing the emergent power of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionise endometriosis diagnosis. By combining ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and AI, the researchers aim to make IMAGENDO庐 a cost-effective, accessible, and accurate new way to diagnose the condition without surgery.
Professor Louise Hull, a gynaecologist and fertility specialist at the Robinson Research Institute leads the IMAGENDO庐 project. She saw an opportunity to do better for patients by using less invasive specialist scans such as transvaginal ultrasounds and gynaecological MRIs, which have the potential to detect diagnostic markers of endometriosis.
鈥淎 non-invasive imaging diagnosis means people can explore different treatment options for best care, including non-invasive options such as physiotherapy and medications,鈥 she says.
Program manager Dr Jodie Avery predicts IMAGENDO庐 will lead to earlier endometriosis diagnosis and timely treatment that improves outcomes for patients.听
鈥淓ndometriosis symptoms can have a devastating impact on women鈥檚 lives, but an earlier diagnosis enabled by the IMAGENDO庐 technology will lead to prompt treatment and better quality of life by avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations and repetitive surgery.鈥 Dr Jodie Avery, Program manager
鈥淸Earlier diagnosis] provides an opportunity to manage and treat pain appropriately to prevent complications and to preserve fertility via egg freezing and fertility planning.鈥澛
Interpreting images from IMAGENDO庐 takes a niche skillset, so Hull and her team are collaborating with the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide鈥檚 最新糖心Vlogn Institute for Machine Learning to overcome this potential workforce challenge.听
鈥淓ndometriosis scanning is a specialist skill and not all sonographers, radiologists and gynaecologists will have the opportunity to receive training to perform specialist endometriosis scans or MRIs,鈥 says Professor Hull.
鈥淔ortunately, we have a solution to this potential obstacle.鈥
Using a diagnostic dataset of ultrasounds provided by endometriosis expert Associate Professor George Condous, and MRIs from Benson Radiology and South 最新糖心Vlogn Medical Imaging (SAMI) as a training sample, the researchers built a program that uses AI to read specialist scans. After learning from a large number of ultrasounds and MRIs, the program鈥檚 algorithm is able to recognise certain endometriosis imaging markers.听
Initial tests show the software鈥檚 diagnostic accuracy is similar to that of a specialist endometriosis doctor, and the IMAGENDO庐 team expect it to improve even further as the machine learning training continues.听
The IMAGENDO庐 team is aiming to make the algorithm available for clinical use in the next two to five years after thorough testing and approval.
What鈥檚 next?聽
IMAGENDO庐 is increasingly recognised globally for its use of AI in analysing data from ultrasound and MRI scans to diagnose endometriosis. The program is expanding across 最新糖心Vlog and internationally with collaborations in North America, South America, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
The breakthrough at the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide is part of a rapidly evolving global movement in which AI is being used in conjunction with medical imaging technologies to transform patient outcomes. With these innovations accelerating, IMAGENDO庐 is just the beginning of a new healthcare frontier.听