Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recognition of Fetal Open Neural Tube Defect on Prenatal Ultrasound

This study aimed to compare the axial cranial ultrasound images of normal and open neural tube defect (NTD) fetuses using a deep learning (DL) model and to assess its predictive accuracy in identifying open NTD.It was a prospective case-control study. Axial trans-thalamic fetal ultrasound images of participants with open fetal NTD and normal controls between 14 and 28 weeks of gestation were taken after consent. The images were divided into training, testing, and validation datasets randomly in the ratio of 70:15:15. The images were further processed and classified using DL convolutional neural network (CNN) transfer learning (TL) models. The TL models were trained for 50 epochs. The data was analyzed in terms of Cohen kappa score, accuracy score, area under receiver operating curve (AUROC) score, F1 score validity, sensitivity, and specificity of the test.A total of 59 cases and 116 controls were fully followed. Efficient net B0, Visual Geometry Group (VGG), and Inception V3 TL models were used. Both Efficient net B0 and VGG16 models gave similar high training and validation accuracy (100 and 95.83%, respectively). Using inception V3, the training and validation accuracy was 98.28 and 95.83%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of Efficient NetB0 was 100 and 89%, respectively, and was the best.The analysis of the changes in axial images of the fetal cranium using the DL model, Efficient Net B0 proved to be an effective model to be used in clinical application for the identification of open NTD. · Open spina bifida is often missed due to the nonrecognition of the lemon sign on ultrasound.. · Image classification using DL identified open spina bifida with excellent accuracy.. · The research is clinically relevant in low- and middle-income countries..