Deep Learning for Automated Triaging of Stable Chest Radiographs in a Follow-up Setting

Background Most artificial intelligence algorithms that interpret chest radiographs are restricted to an image from a single time point. However, in clinical practice, multiple radiographs are used for longitudinal follow-up, especially in intensive care units (ICUs). Purpose To develop and validate a deep learning algorithm using thoracic cage registration and subtraction to triage pairs of chest radiographs showing no change by using longitudinal follow-up data. Materials and Methods A deep learning algorithm was retrospectively developed using baseline and follow-up chest radiographs in adults from January 2011 to December 2018 at a tertiary referral hospital. Two thoracic radiologists reviewed randomly selected pairs of "change" and "no change" images to establish the ground truth, including normal or abnormal status. Algorithm performance was evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analysis in a validation set and temporally separated internal test sets (January 2019 to August 2021) from the emergency department (ED) and ICU. Threshold calibration for the test sets was conducted, and performance with 40% and 60% triage thresholds was assessed. Results This study included 3 304 996 chest radiographs in 329 036 patients (mean age, 59 years ± 14 [SD]; 170 433 male patients). The training set included 550 779 pairs of radiographs. The validation set included 1620 pairs (810 no change, 810 change). The test sets included 533 pairs (ED; 265 no change, 268 change) and 600 pairs (ICU; 310 no change, 290 change). The algorithm had AUCs of 0.77 (validation), 0.80 (ED), and 0.80 (ICU). With a 40% triage threshold, specificity was 88.4% (237 of 268 pairs) and 90.0% (261 of 290 pairs) in the ED and ICU, respectively. With a 60% triage threshold, specificity was 79.9% (214 of 268 pairs) and 79.3% (230 of 290 pairs) in the ED and ICU, respectively. For urgent findings (consolidation, pleural effusion, pneumothorax), specificity was 78.6%-100% (ED) and 85.5%-93.9% (ICU) with a 40% triage threshold. Conclusion The deep learning algorithm could triage pairs of chest radiographs showing no change while detecting urgent interval changes during longitudinal follow-up. © RSNA, 2023 Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Czum in this issue.