Automatic localization and deep convolutional generative adversarial network-based classification of focal liver lesions in computed tomography images: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Computed tomography of the abdomen exhibits subtle and complex features of liver lesions, subjectively interpreted by physicians. We developed a deep learning-based localization and classification (DLLC) system for focal liver lesions (FLLs) in computed tomography imaging that could assist physicians in more robust clinical decision-making.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study (approval no. EMRP-109-058) on 1589 patients with 17 335 slices with 3195 FLLs using data from January 2004 to December 2020. The training set included 1272 patients (male: 776, mean age 62 ± 10.9), and the test set included 317 patients (male: 228, mean age 57 ± 11.8). The slices were annotated by annotators with different experience levels, and the DLLC system was developed using generative adversarial networks for data augmentation. A comparative analysis was performed for the DLLC system versus physicians using external data.

RESULTS

Our DLLC system demonstrated mean average precision at 0.81 for localization. The system's overall accuracy for multiclass classifications was 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95-0.99). Considering FLLs ≤ 3 cm, the system achieved an accuracy of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.68-0.98), and for size > 3 cm, the accuracy was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.77-0.97) for localization. Furthermore, during classification, the accuracy was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.92-0.98) for FLLs ≤ 3 cm and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94-1.00) for FLLs > 3 cm.

CONCLUSION

This system can provide an accurate and non-invasive method for diagnosing liver conditions, making it a valuable tool for hepatologists and radiologists.