Artificial Intelligence Assurance in Head and Neck Surgery: Now and Next

Area of Science:

• Medical technology
• Computer science
• Surgical innovation

Background:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing in medical screening, diagnostics, and biopharma research.
• The application of AI in surgery and surgical therapeutics is still in its early stages.
• Leveraging AI in surgical workflows offers potential benefits like error reduction and improved patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the current state of AI assurance in head and neck surgeries.
• To cover AI applications across the patient's surgical timeline: diagnostics, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases.
• To identify research gaps and opportunities for AI in surgical computer-based systems.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of AI applications in surgical patient care.
• Analysis of AI assurance in diagnostics, preoperative planning, intraoperative guidance, and outcome prediction.
• Identification of current limitations and future research directions.

Main Results:

• AI is nascent in surgery but has significant potential for head and neck procedures.
• Current AI applications span diagnostics, preoperative considerations, intraoperative guidance, and postoperative predictions.
• Gaps exist in AI assurance across the entire surgical patient journey.

Conclusions:

• AI holds considerable promise for enhancing surgical procedures, especially in head and neck oncology.
• Further research and development are needed to integrate AI robustly into surgical workflows.
• Addressing identified gaps will facilitate the advancement of AI-assisted surgical care and improve patient outcomes.