AI better than most human experts at detecting cause of preemie blindness

New algorithm could help overcome shortage of physicians trained in disease diagnosis

By Franny White May 02, 2018 Portland, Oregon / Boston, Massachusetts

Downloads

Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer, Ph.D., of the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as an associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School.

Normal Vessels

Physicians examine the vessels of the retina at the back of eyes to determine whether a patient has retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP, the leading cause of childhood blindness. Shown here is a normal eye. OHSU and Massachusetts General Hospital have developed an artificial intelligence-based algorithm that more accurately diagnosed ROP in images such as these than most of the eight expert physicians involved in the study. (OHSU/Michael Chiang)

Severe ROP

An image of the back of an eye shows twisted and dilated retinal vessels, a sign of retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP, which is the leading cause of childhood blindness. OHSU and Massachusetts General Hospital have developed an artificial intelligence-based algorithm that more accurately diagnosed ROP in images such as this than most of the eight expert physicians involved in the study. (OHSU/Michael Chiang)

ROP eyes

Physicians examine the vessels of the retina at the back of eyes to determine whether a patient has retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP, the leading cause of childhood blindness. Shown here are two such images: one of a normal eye (left) and another of an eye with twisted and dilated retinal vessels, which indicates ROP. OHSU and Massachusetts General Hospital have developed an artificial intelligence-based algorithm that more accurately diagnosed ROP in images such as these than most of the eight expert physicians involved in the study. (OHSU/Michael Chiang)

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)

Dr. Brock Alonzo, left, holds 4-month-old Nathan Brown as Dr. Michael Chiang examines the baby's eyes during an ophthalmologist appointment at Casey Eye Institute Elks Children Eye Clinic in Portland, in 2017. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)

Dilating eye drops are placed into 4-month-old baby Nathan Brown's eyes before a screening at Casey Eye Institute Elks Children Eye Clinic in Portland, April 5, 2017. Nathan was born at 26-weeks and has retinopathy of prematurity, a common condition in preemies. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)

Jonathan Brown of Keizer, Oregon and his wife Mackenzie comfort their 4-month-old baby Nathan during an ophthalmologist appointment at Casey Eye Institute Elks Children Eye Clinic in Portland, April 5, 2017. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)

Jonathan Brown of Keizer, Oregon kisses the hand of his 4-month-old baby Nathan as they wait for an opthalmologist appointment at Casey Eye Institute Elks Children Eye Clinic in Portland, April 5, 2017. Nathan was born at 26-weeks and has retinopathy of prematurity, a common condition in preemies. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)

Jonathan Brown of Keizer, Oregon and his wife Mackenzie wait for their 4-month-old baby Nathan's ophthalmologist appointment at Casey Eye Institute Elks Children Eye Clinic in Portland, April 5, 2017. Nathan was born at 26-weeks and has retinopathy of prematurity, a common condition in preemies. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)