According to the researchers, the new AI tool could automatically identify and quantify different sizes and types of brain lesions. ©Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the health care industry, thereby significantly improving the quality and availability of healthcare services. The latest development in this new field is an AI algorithm that can detect and identify different types of brain injuries.
A research team from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London have clinically validated and tested the new AI algorithm on large sets of CT scans. They found that it can successfully detect, segment, quantify and differentiate different types of brain lesions.
The results, the team claimed, could help in developing more personalised treatments for head injuries. Their study findings have been published in the journal 'The Lancet Digital Health.'
The type, volume and location of a lesion on the brain are important to patient outcomes. But often, much of the rich information available in a CT scan is missed, noted study co-senior author David Menon, Professor at Cambridge University in the UK.
According to the researchers, the new AI tool could automatically identify and quantify different sizes and types of brain lesions. Thus, it will help in better diagnosis of patients with who have a head injury.
The tool, developed based on an artificial neural network, was trained on more than 600 different CT scans to test its efficacy. It was able to classify individual parts of each image and tell whether it was normal or not. Since the AI may be more consistent than a human at detecting subtle changes over time, the researchers said that their tool could be useful in determining how head injuries progress.
Currently, the researchers are planning to use the AI tool for research only. However, they said that with proper validation, it could also be used in certain clinical scenarios, such as in resource-limited areas, as well as emergency rooms. Of all the patients who have a head injury, only between 10 and 15 per cent have a lesion that can be seen on a CT scan. The AI tool could help identify these patients who need further treatment, the authors wrote.
The brain is surrounded by fluid that protect it from coming in contact with the hard inside of the skull. A jarring blow to your body or head may, however, cause your brain to move around and lead to a traumatic contact between skull and brain. This can cause brain injuries. There are certain risk factors that can increase your chance of suffering a brain injury. Knowing these risk factors is important to avoid possible brain injuries.
Experts say men are twice as likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury as women. The risk-taking behavior in men may probably be a reason why they suffer more brain injuries than women.
Age is also a risk factor, with children aged five or younger, teenagers and senior citizens aged 75 or older, at a greater likelihood of suffering brain injuries. Younger children have less coordination and softer skulls which make them more likely to fall and suffer a brain injury. Meanwhile, young adults between 15 and 24 are more likely to engage in riskier behavior than other populations, and that puts them at higher risk for brain injury. For older people, broken bones or disorientation increases their risk of falling and suffering a brain injury.
About 50% of all brain injuries are associated with alcohol use. In most cases of brain injury, either the victim or the person who causes the injury is found to have used alcohol. Alcohol use is also considered as one of the reasons for increased risk of brain injuries in young adults. Road accidents resulting from alcohol consumption are common causes of brain injury.
Contact sports like football, soccer, hockey and basketball can increase the risk of brain injury. For example, American football players have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a degenerative disease with dementia-like symptoms. In contact sports, there is high chance of suffering a head injury due to a blow from a rough tackle, from colliding with another player, or from even heading the ball.
