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Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Medicine - An Overview

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Nuclear medicine benefits from artificial intelligence, innovative computer software that automates imaging duties and increases treatment precision.

Written by

Dr. Vennela. T

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Muhammed Hassan

Published At January 10, 2024
Reviewed AtJanuary 10, 2024

Introduction:

Precision medicine, another name for personalized medicine, is a rapidly expanding field in healthcare that tailors therapy to the individual. This customized method enhances dependability and significantly impacts illness prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Precision medicine in the field of nuclear medicine depends on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). In artificial intelligence (AI), machines carry out activities that often call for human intelligence. Personalized medicine models for individual patients have been made possible recently by artificial intelligence (AI) advances, including machine learning, deep learning, artificial neural networks, convolutional neural networks, and generative adversarial networks.

How Does AI Leverage Machine Learning?

Artificial intelligence (AI) includes machine learning, teaching a computer to make predictions or judgments using data. It is a range of approaches rather than a single program. In conventional machine learning, humans frequently need to extract particular features from the data to aid the computer in understanding. Supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, and reinforcement learning are a few of the several varieties of machine learning.

A branch of machine learning called deep learning (DL) automates specific processes, minimizing the need for human intervention. A kind of deep learning (DL) called artificial neural networks (ANNs) mimics the function of brain neurons. Each node in their network processes data, and they are connected by weighted pathways.

Particular ANNs called convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are explicitly made to analyze visual data, such as images. Utilizing layers, they methodically examine various regions of an image, lowering processing demands by concentrating on smaller areas.

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are composed of two networks playing a competitive game: a discriminator and a generator. The discriminator attempts to discern actual and bogus data, while the generator produces phony data. As time passes, the discriminator gets more adept at identifying differences, while the generator gets better at making realistic data.

What Are the Latest AI Advancements in Nuclear Medicine Imaging?

The developments in artificial intelligence for medical imaging, especially related to nuclear medicine.

  • Planning: AI is essential to maintaining patient safety and efficiency throughout the planning stage of medical imaging. Specific contraindications, such as allergies and possible drug interactions, can be routinely screened. AI can also examine a patient's past medical records and exams to prevent needless repeat testing. This improves the safety and accuracy of medical imaging treatments and streamlines the process.

  • Image Capture in Nuclear Medicine: Accurate picture scanning in nuclear medicine requires addressing issues, including attenuation maps and scatter correction. Researchers are currently producing attenuation maps for cutting-edge imaging methods like positron emission tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (PET or MRI) utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), such as a modified U-Net architecture. Compared to conventional techniques, this AI-driven strategy exhibits promise and highlights the possibility of increased diagnostic accuracy.

  • Improvement of Image Quality: Artificial intelligence is progressing rapidly in improving the quality of medical photographs. For example, deep learning approaches have been used by researchers to lower noise and increase resolution in PET scanners. This breakthrough helps produce sharper and more detailed images, giving medical personnel better information to diagnose patients accurately.

  • Image Interpretation: AI is showing promise as a valuable tool in the complex field of medical image interpretation. Systems for AI-based triage are being developed to detect problems and abnormalities in photos. These systems might eventually grow to the point where they can use raw data, such as sinograms, to identify issues in real-time and notify users while they scan. This early detection capability ensures the imaging procedure's dependability by enabling specialists to make necessary adjustments quickly.

  • Automated Pathology Diagnosis: Artificial intelligence has a lot of potential for automating the diagnosis of diseases in medical images, even beyond artifact detection. This feature can potentially find overlooked findings and secondary discoveries and save time. Artificial intelligence (AI) makes medical image analysis more complete and efficient by automating the identification of anomalies.

What Are the Emerging Nuclear Imaging Approaches?

Emerging new technologies such as total-body PET provide distinct concerns. Such advances can produce complicated data that AI can analyze and provide essential insights into tumor heterogeneity.

  • Radiopharmaceutical Therapies (RPTs): AI is leveraging machine learning to find potential leads and streamline the labeling process, significantly impacting the development of theranostic medications. With AI's assistance, precision dosimetry, which determines a patient's ideal dosage, is also progressing.

  • Predictive Dosimetry and Digital Twins: Artificial Intelligence forecasts the dosage required for customized radiopharmaceutical treatments. By experimenting with various treatment scenarios in the digital realm, the "theranostic digital twin" notion enables the optimization of therapies before their actual execution.

  • Clinical Workflow: AI is being incorporated into nuclear medicine's operational facets, impacting quality control, scheduling of patients, equipment maintenance, and real-time monitoring. This improves efficiency and makes nuclear therapy safer and more dependable, allowing clinicians to treat patients more effectively. AI algorithms may expedite the analysis of medical pictures and assist in prioritizing urgent cases.

How Do Organizations Navigate Ethics, Data Protection, and Privacy in the Digital Age?

While medical imaging can benefit from artificial intelligence (AI), there are also significant concerns. These include following the law, protecting patient privacy, maintaining moral principles, and educating the general public on artificial intelligence. Upholding responsibility, equity, and openness while using AI in healthcare is morally right.

Laws are required to preserve privacy because AI depends on sensitive health data. However, employing all the data AI demands creates questions regarding consent, data anonymization, and privacy protection. Federative learning is one innovative strategy that could help with these issues.

The inability of laws and regulations governing artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare to keep up with technical breakthroughs is a serious issue that makes it challenging to ensure the appropriate and safe use of AI.

Another issue is the general need for more knowledge about artificial intelligence in healthcare among patients and physicians, which breeds mistrust. Researchers and healthcare practitioners must learn more about AI and provide patients with reliable information to remedy this.

Conclusion:

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to completely transform the medical field when it is applied to clinical procedures, especially in the area of nuclear medicine imaging. With AI being used to optimize medical imaging workflows and protocols, it is becoming increasingly necessary to integrate expertise like clinical data science, computer science, and machine learning. There is a significant chance to reduce the rate of physician error by utilizing AI skills, which would ultimately improve patient care. AI-enhanced medical procedures have the potential to revolutionize the field of medicine by enabling more precise diagnosis and enhancing patient care in general.

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Dr. Muhammed Hassan
Dr. Muhammed Hassan

Internal Medicine

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