Clinical scientists and radiographers at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have developed an AI tool that can predict when a person's kidneys might fail.
The AI tool was a collaboration between clinical scientists and MRI radiographers at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and specialist kidney doctors across Europe as part of the CYSTic research project.
The AI was developed from an algorithm trained by Principal Scientist Jonathan Taylor from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The AI tool provides an accurate and very fast analysis of total kidney volume, a measurement used to assess future kidney lifespan in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).
Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease is a common inherited kidney condition caused by the growth of fluid-filled sacs in the kidneys.
Photo: (L-R): Consultant Nephrologist and Clinical Lead for Genetics Professor Albert Ong, Principal Clinical Scientist Dr Jonathan Taylor and MRI Radiographer Richard Thomas with images the AI program is automatically able to assess
Between 30,000 to 70,000 people in the UK have the disease, which is currently monitored using repeated measurements of kidney enlargement from patient MRI scans.
These scans are made up of two-dimensional ‘slices’ stacked on top of each other, with analysts having to go through 50-60 slices, and carefully trace round the edge of each kidney on a computer screen.
This is a labour-intensive process and takes approximately an hour, per patient case, of staff time at the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
By automating the segmentation of the MRI scans, the AI has the results available in less than a minute.
The software has been in use at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s 3D Lab since 2022, with the team saying it could be used in kidney clinics worldwide.