AI model could open doors for greater access to obstetric ultrasound

Artificial intelligence models can assist with fetal ultrasounds conducted by novice operators in underserved, low resource areas where access to medical imaging is extremely limited, according to a new study. 

Research published recently in NEJM Evidence revealed that an artificial intelligence model can estimate gestational age using just a quick sweep with accuracy that rivals that of formally trained sonographers completing fetal biometry scans. 

“Ultrasound is like a stethoscope to the modern obstetrician. We use it all day, every day,” Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases (IGHID) Associate Director Jeff Stringer, MD, said in a statement.  

Stinger, who is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the University of North Carolina Division of Global Women’s Health, and his wife, Elizabeth Stringer, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, helped spearhead the research after being inspired by their work as obstetricians in Lusaka, Zambia. 

Compared to patients in well-developed regions, who undergo multiple ultrasounds during pregnancy, women in low resource areas, such as Zambia, might not receive a scan throughout the duration of their entire pregnancy, Stinger explained. Without ultrasound, establishing gestational age is difficult and often inaccurate. But offering imaging services, such as fetal ultrasound, is dependent upon the funds to obtain expensive equipment and employing a trained sonographer with the skills to conduct the imaging. This is where less developed and low resource areas face dilemmas.