Using deep-learning algorithms to classify fetal brain ultrasound images as normal or abnormal

To evaluate the feasibility of using deep-learning algorithms to classify as normal or abnormal sonographic images of the fetal brain obtained in standard axial planes.

We included in the study images retrieved from a large hospital database from 10 251 normal and 2529 abnormal pregnancies. Abnormal cases were confirmed by neonatal ultrasound, follow-up examination or autopsy. After a series of pretraining data processing steps, 15 372 normal and 14 047 abnormal fetal brain images in standard axial planes were obtained. These were divided into training and test datasets (at case level rather than image level), at a ratio of approximately 8:2. The training data were used to train the algorithms for three purposes: performance of image segmentation along the fetal skull, classification of the image as normal or abnormal and localization of the lesion. The accuracy was then tested on the test datasets, with performance of segmentation being assessed using precision, recall and Dice's coefficient (DICE), calculated to measure the extent of overlap between human-labeled and machine-segmented regions. We assessed classification accuracy by calculating the sensitivity and specificity for abnormal images. Additionally, for 2491 abnormal images, we determined how well each lesion had been localized by overlaying heat maps created by an algorithm on the segmented ultrasound images; an expert judged these in terms of how satisfactory was the lesion localization by the algorithm, classifying this as having been done precisely, closely or irrelevantly.

Segmentation precision, recall and DICE were 97.9%, 90.9% and 94.1%, respectively. For classification, the overall accuracy was 96.3%. The sensitivity and specificity for identification of abnormal images were 96.9% and 95.9%, respectively, and the area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve was 0.989 (95% CI, 0.986-0.991). The algorithms located lesions precisely in 61.6% (1535/2491) of the abnormal images, closely in 24.6% (614/2491) and irrelevantly in 13.7% (342/2491).

Deep-learning algorithms can be trained for segmentation and classification of normal and abnormal fetal brain ultrasound images in standard axial planes and can provide heat maps for lesion localization. This study lays the foundation for further research on the differential diagnosis of fetal intracranial abnormalities. Copyright © 2020 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.