Artificial intelligence now trained to detect pixel patterns in ultrasound images
Partho Sengupta, MD, FACC, and Naveena Yanamala, PhD
(New Brunswick, NJ) – Researchers from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (Rutgers RWJMS) and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) have reported a new breakthrough in ultrasound imaging methods that can detect microscopic changes in the structure and heart function, which can be useful for detecting early heart disease using miniaturized ultrasound devices that can be carried in the pocket.
In an article published in the December 2022 edition of Journals of the American College of Cardiology, Partho Sengupta, MD, FACC, and Naveena Yanamala, PhD, reveal how they used artificial intelligence (AI) modeling techniques to compile and analyze pixel-based patterns in echocardiogram images of humans in order to develop an expert-level interpretation of heart conditions that lead to heart failure. They then used a mouse model of heart failure and found that these patterns result from microscopic changes in heart muscle geometry.
Dr. Sengupta is the Henry Rutgers Professor of Cardiology and Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hypertension at RWJMS, and Chief of Cardiology at RWJUH, and is a member of the Combined Medical Group of RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health. Dr. Yanamala is Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science in the Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension Division, Rutgers RWJMS, and Director of the Innovation Center at RWJUH.
Through their analysis, the researchers were able to establish new biological markers, or indicators, of cardiovascular disease that can help clinicians detect heart problems earlier and give them important information they need to plan the appropriate treatment.
“By establishing and analyzing the pixel patterns obtained from the echocardiogram image samples, we were able to predict the presence of heart diseases that can cause heart failure,” Dr. Sengupta explained. “Early identification of changes in heart muscle or cardiovascular function can lead to more proactive interventions and the prevention of serious complications.”
According to Dr. Sengupta, this biomarker can be applied to any current cardiac ultrasound device, including point-of-care advanced miniature portable ultrasound technology. Essentially, the data resembles obtaining an ultrasound biopsy of heart tissue, he said.
“This has the potential to give more people access to in-depth, expert analysis across a wide range of settings, leading to faster intervention and prevention of serious heart disease,” Dr. Sengupta noted.
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Earlier this year, RWJUH established the Innovation Center. The Innovation Center is a partnership between RWJUH and RWJMS to bring together clinicians, researchers and private industry to invent and develop new technologies that address complex and common health issues. The ultimate goal is to develop innovative clinical trials that generate medical breakthroughs to improve preventive care and health outcomes for patients.
Dr. Sengupta said this research aligns perfectly with the Center’s mission, adding that Rutgers RWJMS and RWJUH currently have a National Science Foundation research grant to create and sustain an “innovation pipeline” leading to other discoveries like this.
“Our goal is to make New Jersey a cornerstone and model for the early detection of cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Sengupta said.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) of New Brunswick, a 614-bed RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is the largest academic medical center in New Jersey thanks to its extensive partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship cancer hospital of the Rutgers Cancer Institute in New Jersey, and its other centers of excellence include cardiovascular care, from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, heart stroke, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery, and care for women and children with The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). A Level 1 trauma center and the first designated pediatric trauma center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its innovative approaches to emergency preparedness. Learn more at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick
About Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community Health. Part of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School comprises 20 core science and clinical departments, and is home to centers and institutes including the Cardiovascular Institute, Child Health Institute of New Jersey and the Women’s Health Institute. The medical school has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 100 medical schools in the nation and #1 in the state for research and primary care.
The Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, an RWJBarnabas healthcare facility and the primary affiliate of the medical school, is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. Clinical services are provided by more than 500 faculty physicians in more than 200 specialties and subspecialties under Rutgers Health, the clinical arm of Rutgers University.
The medical school offers training programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels at its New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses, and offers continuing education courses for health professionals and training programs. community education. To learn more about Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, visit rwjms.rutgers.edu.
Contact: Peter Haigney, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Public Relations
732-937-8568 (o) 908-227-9317 (h)
Peter.haigney@rwjbh.org
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