Deep Radiomics Features of Median Nerves for Automated Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome With Ultrasound Images: A Multi-Center Study.

OBJECTIVES: Ultrasound is widely used in diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, the limitations of ultrasound in CTS detection are the lack of objective measures in the detection of nerve abnormality and the operator-dependent nature of ultrasound imaging. Therefore, in this study, we developed and proposed externally validated artificial intelligence (AI) models based on deep-radiomics features. METHODS: We have used 416 median nerves from 2 countries (Iran and Colombia) for the development (112 entrapped and 112 normal nerves from Iran) and validation (26 entrapped and 26 normal nerves from Iran, and 70 entrapped and 70 normal nerves from Columbia) of our models. Ultrasound images were fed to the SqueezNet architecture to extract deep-radiomics features. Then a ReliefF method was used to select the clinically significant features. The selected deep-radiomics features were fed to 9 common machine-learning algorithms to choose the best-performing classifier. The 2 best-performing AI models were then externally validated. RESULTS: Our developed model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.910 (88.46% sensitivity, 88.46% specificity) and 0.908 (84.62% sensitivity, 88.46% specificity) with support vector machine and stochastic gradient descent (SGD), respectively using the internal validation dataset. Furthermore, both models consistently performed well in the external validation dataset, and achieved an AUC of 0.890 (85.71% sensitivity, 82.86% specificity) and 0.890 (84.29% sensitivity and 82.86% specificity), with SVM and SGD models, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our proposed AI models fed with deep-radiomics features performed consistently with internal and external datasets. This justifies that our proposed system can be employed for clinical use in hospitals and polyclinics.

Correlation Nerve Conduction Studies with Findings of the Ultrasound of the Median Nerve in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasonography is a diagnostic resource that serves as a complement in the evaluation of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. The correlation of ultrasonography findings with nerve conduction studies can serve to classify new phenotypes and to evaluate therapeutic responses. OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic sensitivity of ultrasound, the correlation between the diameter of the nerve (CSA) against the motor and sensitive latencies, and the capacity to differentiate the mild, moderate and severe degrees of the electrophysiological classification of carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with prospective data collection was carried out. An ultrasonography system with a 15 MHz transducer was used. Nerve conduction studies of the median nerve were performed with conventional techniques. Data from the most symptomatic hand were used. Determination of the correlations of nerve diameter with motor and sensitive latencies of the median nerve was performed in four age groups: <40(n=11), 40-54 (n=47), 55-70 (n=42) y >70(n=27). RESULTS: A total of 127 patients were evaluated (average age = 58.2 years: minimum = 26; maximum = 85; SD = 13.4); 109 (85.8%) were female patients. According to the electrophysiological classification, 40 (31.5%) were mild ; 60 (47.2%) were moderate ; and 27 (21.3%) were severe . Significant differences in the area of the median nerve were found between the electrophysiological types (mild, moderate and severe; p = 0.000). The diagnostic sensitivity of ultrasonography differed for each age group. In general, the diagnostic sensitivity was high in patients with severe cases and low for mild cases. The capacity for ultrasonography to classify the degrees of electrophysiological severity was different for each age group. For patients above 70 years and in the age group of 40 to 54 years, the CSA did not differentiate the electrophysiologically moderate cases from the severe ones. CONCLUSION: There is a well-defined and significant correlation between nerve conduction studies and median nerve diameter in patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. However, it shows that the exclusive use of the ultrasonographic measurement of the cross-sectional area through the inlet of the carpal tunnel would not be enough to confirm or rule out an entrapment of the median nerve through the carpal tunnel, nor to predict in every case their electrophysiological severity.

Hallazgos ultrasonográficos a nivel de articulaciones de manos y pies en sujetos voluntarios asintomáticos / Ultrasound findings in hand and foot joints of asymptomatic volunteers

Resumen Introducción: Anormalidades ultrasonográficas se describen con cierta frecuencia en articulaciones de sujetos asintomáticos, las cuales generan incertidumbre en el contexto de evaluación y tratamiento de la enfermedad articular inflamatoria; a pesar de ello, en Colombia no existen estudios al respecto y la evidencia disponible es escasa, hecha en un bajo número de participantes y con transductores menores a 18 MHz en su gran mayoría. Objetivos: Describir los hallazgos ultrasonográficos articulares en manos y pies de un grupo de voluntarios asintomáticos, su asociación con las características sociodemográficas y la concordancia intra e interobservador de sus mediciones. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo y analítico en el que se incluyeron 182 voluntarios asintomáticos. Dos médicos con experiencia en ecografía musculoesquelética evaluaron el aspecto dorsal de 5.460 recesos articulares mediante la escala semicuantitativa de Szkudlarek y la utilización de un transductor lineal de 18 MHz. Resultados: La mediana de edad de los participantes fue de 42 arios, 60,4% de ellos mujeres. En 87% de los voluntarios se identificaron en total 232 hallazgos, el 68,1% correspondió a derrame articular, 29,3% a hipertrofia sinovial, 2,1% a erosiones y 0,4% a Doppler de poder. Los pies mostraron mayores hallazgos que las manos (70,7% vs. 29,3%). Las articulaciones en las que más se identificaron anormalidades fue la primera articulación metatarsofalángica (52%), la tercera metatarsofalángica (15%) y la radiocarpiana (9,5%). Se halló relación positiva entre el derrame articular y la hipertrofia sinovial con la edad, ocupación manual exclusiva y tiempo laboral mayor de 10 años. La concordancia intraobservador fue moderada (Kappa = 0,4591) y la interobservador fue leve (Kappa = 0,2155). Conclusiones: La ausencia de señal Doppler de poder, el no compromiso radioulnar distal, la ausencia de sinovitis acompañada de erosión y una mayor predominancia de alteraciones leves al nivel de las manos, sumado a la ausencia de hallazgos al nivel de la quinta articulación metatarsiana, constituyen hallazgos potencialmente específicos de sujetos asintomáticos que merecen ser confirmados como tal en futuros estudios.

Abstract Introduction: Ultrasound (US) abnormalities have often been described in the joints of asymptomatic subjects, which may lead to uncertainty in the evaluation and treatment of inflammatory joint disease. Despite this, the available evidence is scarce, with few participants, and in the vast majority with transducers less than 18Mhz. In Colombia there are currently no published studies about this topic. Objectives: To describe the ultrasound findings in hand and foot joints in asymptomatic volunteers, their association with sociodemographic characteristics, and intra- and inter-observer concordance of the measurements. Materials and methods: Descriptive and analytical study within 182 asymptomatic volunteers. Two physicians with musculoskeletal ultrasound experience evaluated the dorsal aspect of 5460 articular recesses using the semi-quantitative scale of Szkudlarek using a 18 MHz linear transducer. Results: The median age of the participants was 42 years, including 60.4% women. A total of 232 abnormal findings were identified in 87% of the volunteers, with 68.1% corresponding to joint effusion, 29.3% synovial hypertrophy, 2.1% erosions, and 0.4% positive power Doppler. The feet evaluation showed more findings than the hands (70.7 vs. 29.3%). The joints in which most abnormalities were identified were the first metatarsophalangeal joint (52%), third metatarsophalangeal joint (15%), and radiocarpal joint (9.5%). A positive association was found between joint effusion and synovial hypertrophy with age, exclusive manual activity, and occupation for more than ten years. The intra-observer concordance was moderate (Kappa = .4591) and the inter-observer was low (Kappa = .2155). Conclusions: The absence of power Doppler signal, the absence of abnormalities in distal radioulnar, the absence of synovitis accompanied by erosion, and a greater predominance of mild alterations in the hand joints, added to the absence of findings in the fifth metatarsal joint, can be potential specific findings of asymptomatic subjects and might be confirmed in future studies.