When Artificial Intelligence (AI) Met a Botfly: The First AI-Assisted Diagnosis of Cutaneous Furuncular Myiasis in a Community-Based Surgical Practice.

In this report, we describe a rare case of a parasitic infection of Dermatobia hominis in a patient who presented to a general otolaryngology clinic in a Seattle suburb. The 69-year-old male patient initially presented with a unique furuncle on his scalp after returning from a vacation in Belize. Initially unrecognized as a cutaneous manifestation of D. hominis larva, the patient was brought for surgical excision and biopsy of the lesion to a community-based surgical center. This case highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) was innovatively utilized intraoperatively to assist the surgeon in confirming the diagnosis of this rare infection and facilitating treatment. AI has rapidly become an important tool used by physicians worldwide and is evolving in its applications in healthcare. AI-assisted image analysis has recently been demonstrated to be effective in assisting in the diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions including cancers and rare parasitic conditions such as leishmaniasis. A review of the literature reveals that our report is a first on AI-assisted intraoperative diagnosis of D. hominis. We discuss this case, the differential diagnosis, treatment options, and innovative use of ubiquitous AI in the operating room to efficiently assist clinicians in confirming their suspicions and ensuring appropriate treatment.