Interventional AI-Human Collaboration for Liver Tumor Diagnosis

AI-human Collaborative Diagnosis of Liver Tumors Using CE-CT

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly deep learning technology, have transformed medical imaging analysis. AI systems have demonstrated diagnostic performance comparable to or exceeding that of expert radiologists in specific tasks. Liver-focused AI diagnostic systems have achieved promising results in multi-center validations; however, these retrospective studies have not yet addressed two critical gaps. First, large-scale prospective trials are required to establish real-world clinical effectiveness. Second, it remains unclear whether AI can be organically embedded into clinical diagnostic workflows to reshape diagnostic and therapeutic pathways, particularly by enhancing the detection and follow-up of hepatic malignancies and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of AI-human collaboration in liver tumor diagnosis by embedding real-time AI analysis into conventional multiphasic contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT) workflows. Specifically, this prospective validation trial will assess diagnostic performance in detecting and characterizing hepatic lesions, particularly malignancies, evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of workflow integration, and determine the potential clinical impact on treatment decision-making and patient management.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age range 18 years and above
2. Underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced abdominal CT examination with liver coverage
3. Imaging must include at least three required phases: non-contrast, arterial phase, and venous phase; an delayed phase is optional
4. Complete imaging data that meet AI system analysis requirements.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of recent upper-abdominal surgery (within 30 days) or major hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery affecting liver evaluation (e.g., liver transplantation or Whipple procedure); patients with prior simple cholecystectomy or single-lesion interventional procedures are not excluded
2. History of recent hepatic trauma (within 30 days)
3. Poor image quality or severe noise artifacts (e.g., metal or motion artifacts)
4. Missing required imaging phases (required at least non-contrast, arterial, and venous phases) or inadequate scan range (e.g., lower-abdomen CT such as pelvic or rectal scans not covering the liver)