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August 26, 2023
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AI boom makes inroads in GI: AI may improve diagnosis, experts still urge caution

Fact checked byMonica Stonehill
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Artificial intelligence has been making waves, especially with ChatGPT, and it is poised to remarkably change the way physicians practice medicine; however, they should be cautious of its use as it will not replace their expertise.

Within the field of gastroenterology, AI has become a useful tool for detecting gastrointestinal lesions and adenomas as well as predicting flare ups among patients with ulcerative colitis. However, limited or biased data could lead to inaccurate predictions, and there are widespread concerns about AI interfering with privacy and data security as well.

Artificial intelligence
Within the field of gastroenterology, AI has become a useful tool for detecting gastrointestinal lesions and adenomas as well as predicting flare ups among patients with ulcerative colitis. Image: Adobe Stock

If you want to learn more about the latest in AI, Healio has compiled a list of recent coverage regarding AI’s impact in gastroenterology.

FDA clearance for Magentiq Eye’s AI-aided colonoscopy system ‘only the tip of the iceberg’

The FDA granted 510(k) clearance to Magentiq Eye’s artificial intelligence-aided software for real-time detection of gastrointestinal lesions during colonoscopy, according to a company press release.

The Magentiq-Colo software is intended to aid physicians by significantly improving the adenoma detection rate during colonoscopies through the use of AI/machine learning algorithms, as well as enhance the overall quality of the exam. Read more.

F‘Keep our hands on the wheel’: Caution, supervision urged as AI enters the IBD space

Although the use of artificial intelligence for inflammatory bowel disease can reasonably replicate expert judgment and predict outcomes, clinicians must retain the ability to intervene and “take control” when the AI is wrong.

“I don’t have to tell any of you that artificial intelligence is everywhere right now, doing some truly amazing tasks and starting to integrate itself seamlessly into our personal lives,” Ryan W. Stidham, MD, MS, associate professor of medicine and computational medicine and bioinformatics at the University of Michigan, told attendees at the Crohn’s and Colitis Congress. “We have machines that are doing simple tasks using vision technologies, that are able to see and comprehend the visual world the way we do, and then act to do simple things, like robots that vacuum for you, as well as increasingly complex tasks, such as autonomous driving.” Read more.

ChatGPT fails ACG tests, ‘should be validated’ before use in gastroenterology

The artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT failed the ACG multiple-choice, self-assessment test, prompting researchers at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research to warn against its use for medical education in gastroenterology.

“ChatGPT does not have an intrinsic understanding of an issue,” Arvind Trindade, MD, regional director of endoscopy at Northwell Health System and associate professor of medicine at the Feinstein Institutes, told Healio. “Its basic function is to predict the next word in a string of text based on available information to produce an expected response, regardless of whether such a response is factually correct or not. Therefore, it can be dangerous regarding medical advice or education, as we have shown in our study.” Read more.

AI shows promise in diagnosis, treatment of IBD, but limitations, concerns remain

Artificial intelligence has been used in various ways to benefit patients with inflammatory bowel disease, with one of the main applications being the prediction and diagnosis of disease.

AI algorithms have been developed to analyze patient data, including medical histories, laboratory tests and imaging results, and to identify patterns and predict the likelihood of a patient developing IBD or experiencing disease flare-ups. AI is also utilized in treatment management for IBD patients. Read more.

‘Keep the guardrails on’: As AI use expands in IBD care, physicians should remain cautious

Artificial intelligence has been used extensively in gastroenterology for polyp detection and is expanding into the inflammatory bowel disease space in an experimental and “research phase,” quickly making its way into clinical use.

“AI encompasses several different technologies that can engage text, images and other data with initial use cases aiming to reproduce expert opinion with the benefits of automation including standardization, reproducibility and speed,” Ryan W. Stidham, MD, MS, AGAF, associate professor of gastroenterology and internal medicine at Michigan Medicine, told Healio Gastroenterology. “As capabilities expand, artificial intelligence applications will move past recapitulating expert judgement and begin enhancing the clinician’s ability to assess patients and predict future outcomes.” Read more.

 

AI system distinguishes UC remission, activity with up to 87% accuracy

A computer-aided diagnosis system successfully distinguished disease remission from activity and predicted the risk for subsequent flare among patients with ulcerative colitis, according to results published in Gastroenterology.

“Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly used to simplify and standardize the evaluation of medical imaging. ... These technologies hold promise to enhance assessment, simplify interpretation and resolve discrepancies between pathologists,” Marietta Iacucci, MD, PhD, FASGE, AGAF, of the Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the University of Birmingham and the University College Cork, and colleagues wrote. “To the best of our knowledge, in the field of UC pathology, only two AI models have been developed.” Read more.

VIDEO: AI cannot replace GI physicians, but ‘with supervision’ may enhance IBD care

In a Healio video exclusive, Edward V. Loftus Jr., MD, acknowledged that although artificial intelligence has potential to radically change the way gastroenterologists practice medicine, “it’s not going to replace you.”

In the June issue of Healio Gastroenterology, the cover story explores the meteoric rise of AI in medicine, focused on technology capable of engaging text, images and other data to replicate expert medical opinion with the added benefits of standardization, reproducibility and speed. In medical specialties such as gastroenterology and hepatology that rely on extensive imaging studies for early detection and adjustments to patient treatment, the clinical benefits are apparent. Watch here.

AI can offset dwindling adenoma detection for colonoscopies performed later in the day

Although colonoscopies performed later in the day correlated with a decreased adenoma detection rate, researchers reported that artificial intelligence systems may offset time-related decline in colonoscopy quality.

“Time of day has been identified as an indispensable factor related to suboptimal ADR. ... Continuous and repetitive visual stimuli may lead to weaker reliable response and poorer judgement, which jeopardize diagnostic abilities and efficiency,” Zihua Lu, MD, of the department of gastroenterology at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, and colleagues wrote in JAMA Network Open. “According to available evidence, the incorporation of AI as an aid for colonoscopy results in a significant increase in ADR. ... However, the extra benefit of AI systems in eliminating the time-related decline of ADR remains unknown.” Read more.

AI model improves differentiation of acute diverticulitis, colon cancer by nearly 10%

A deep-learning artificial intelligence model led to a “significant increase in diagnostic performance” for radiologists distinguishing between acute diverticulitis and colon cancer via CT images, according to results in JAMA Network Open.

“Acute diverticulitis (AD) is a frequent gastrointestinal cause for hospital admission with a substantial disease burden,” Sebastian Ziegelmayer, MD, a radiology resident at the Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the Technical University of Munich, and colleagues wrote. “Contrast-enhanced CT is the imaging modality of choice, and imaging signs include bowel wall thickening, fat stranding, enlarged local lymph nodes and the presence of diverticula, none of which is specific to AD. Read more.