Ultrasound is one of the most important advances in medicine. With the ability to see the fetus inside the uterus, doctors can now more accurately estimate fetal age, growth and weight, diagnose a myriad of fetal malformations, and other advances in obstetrics.
None of the possibilities that people today take for granted would be possible except ultrasound. This has significantly improved outcomes for pregnancy.
Now, artificial intelligence has emerged as another leap forward in maternal care — with similar implications, said Dr. Yinka Oyelese, director of obstetric imaging at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. like the advent of ultrasound.
And the combination of these two innovations has limitless potential, promising to revolutionize the field of pregnancy care, he said.
We interviewed Oyelese to discuss the intersection of ultrasound and AI, and learn more about his recent appointment to the scientific advisory board of Sonio, a femtech company using AI in ultrasound sound to improve maternal health care space.
Q. How do ultrasound technology and artificial intelligence work together? How can they fit?
ONE. Artificial intelligence and ultrasound have combined to transform medical imaging, especially in maternal-fetal medicine (MFM). AI advances ultrasound technology by providing sophisticated image analysis, workflow automation, and decision support tools. Given the complementary qualities of AI and ultrasound, their integration is a natural and logical progression.
Real-time fetal imaging is performed using ultrasound, providing important information about the health and development of the developing fetus. However, decoding ultrasound images can be difficult and time-consuming; it requires training and experience.
This is where AI shines. The AI system can quickly analyze large volumes of ultrasound data, helping medical professionals identify abnormalities, measure fetal biometrics, and make accurate diagnoses. Ultrasound becomes more efficient, accurate, and accessible using AI, ultimately improving maternal care outcomes for patients.
Q. In what ways can AI improve mothers’ ultrasound capabilities?
ONE. As an expert in the field of MFM, I see many ways in which AI will change maternal ultrasound practice. First, AI has become a routine part of what we do in our daily lives, significantly improving efficiency, reliability, accuracy and quality control in activities such as banking, immigration, radiology and aviation.
The ability to process huge amounts of data and help machines learn over time is something we often expect and sometimes take for granted. For example, my access to my phone, banking, and several other daily activities are based on facial recognition.
Over time, my phone learned to recognize my face even when I was wearing a mask, glasses, or a beard. Similar exciting potential exists for AI in ultrasound. AI’s rapid automated analysis and image recognition capabilities significantly speed up and simplify accurate image acquisition in ultrasound.
Currently, performing detailed scans is time-consuming, cumbersome, and is the speed-limiting step of ultrasound. The ability to accurately obtain optimal images, even from scans of fetal structures, is a tremendous advance that can only make ultrasound more effective and accurate.
AI’s ability to accurately identify and interpret structures will make the work of all sonographers, sonographers, and physicians much easier. AI-powered ultrasound’s ability to accurately and reproducibly identify fetal structures allows sonographers to evaluate their scan results based on the results of AI, allowing the ultrasound technician to Negatively improve the quality of examinations and raise their qualifications.
Therefore, AI provides a powerful tool to improve the scanning capabilities of ultrasound machines.
Furthermore, AI is a powerful tool for quality assessment and will help improve all ultrasound devices. The ability to detect small patterns that sonographers and physicians may miss enhances early intervention and increases diagnostic accuracy, all of which benefit patients.
Predictive models developed by AI help assess risk, allowing medical professionals to handle high-risk pregnancies proactively. Additionally, AI-powered decision support systems provide insightful guidance to physicians in providing individualized patient care.
Perhaps one of the most exciting applications of this technology will be telemedicine, where remote sonographers can evaluate and complete their scans with feedback from AI, instead of waiting Wait for the doctor’s explanation.
This will enable the sonographer to present complete and accurate scan results and reports to the physician, and has the potential to democratize ultrasound, providing accurate and complete ultrasound examinations. enough for the people that could not be done before due to lack of manpower.
AI-powered simulation supports instruction in education, ensuring future MFM professionals are proficient. AI is a powerful tool in quality assessment. Images obtained by sonographers and sonographers can be quickly evaluated using AI, leading to improvements in image acquisition by imagers.
Additionally, AI makes telemedicine possible, allowing remote consultations to provide maternal and fetal care in difficult locations. Ultimately, AI offers tremendous opportunities for research, which will greatly enhance the care pregnant mothers receive.
In short, AI will make maternal ultrasound more accessible, accurate and effective, which will completely change the landscape of maternal care and will significantly improve outcomes, especially in places where Previously this was not possible.
Ask. What made you recently decide to join the scientific advisory board of AI ultrasound provider Sonio? What do you hope to achieve?
ONE. Sonio was founded by several global leaders in fetal imaging and AI who have pioneered several advances in our field. My decision was driven by the team’s unwavering commitment at Sonio to enhancing pregnancy care – a field to which I am extremely passionate and have devoted much of my life.
Sonio’s mission aligns with my lifelong dedication to using ultrasound technology to improve pregnancy outcomes. The potential of the combination of ultrasound technology and artificial intelligence is extremely exciting and promises to advance medical care for pregnant women.
However, no technology is adequate without a vision to improve patient health, and any technological advancement must be accessible and available to those who need it most, especially those who most vulnerable. Sonio’s focus on creating advanced yet user-friendly ultrasound solutions that are widely accessible, especially in vulnerable communities, appealed to me greatly.
The team at Sonio shares my goal of providing global access to high-quality prenatal care. Sonio’s dedication to combining technology and clinical experience greatly impressed me as an MFM professional who has devoted much of my life to ultrasound in pregnancy following the ways to help improve pregnancy outcomes.
It is clear to me that Sonio’s overarching goal is to completely transform prenatal care by providing sophisticated yet simple and easy-to-use ultrasound solutions to healthcare practitioners today. worldwide using artificial intelligence. In joining Sonio, I look forward to leveraging my expertise to ensure their technology meets the highest standards of clinical precision and efficiency.
Our shared goal is to reduce barriers to prenatal care globally and improve maternal and fetal health outcomes through innovative solutions. This collaboration represents an exciting and fulfilling opportunity to make a significant and transformative impact in the field of maternal-fetal medicine and for mothers-to-be.
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