AI-Assisted Colonoscopy - 50% Reduction in Miss Rate

Mayo Clinic Gastroenterology and Hepatology, in collaboration with colleagues from around the world, found that using artificial intelligence (AI) in colorectal cancer screening produced a 50% reduction in the miss rate for colorectal neoplasia. Results of the study were published in the July 2022 edition of Gastroenterology. The most relevant cause of post-colonoscopy colorectal cancer (CRC) is the miss rate of colorectal neoplasia — the rate at which neoplastic lesions are not detected in a screening or surveillance colonoscopy. Some studies suggest that 52% to 57% of post-colonoscopy CRC cases are due to missed lesions at patients' colonoscopies. It's estimated that 25% of neoplastic lesions are missed following screening colonoscopy. "This multicenter, randomized control trial analyzed screenings of 230 patients, both men and women, with average risk for CRC. The results demonstrated that AI-assisted colonoscopy significantly reduced the miss rate for colorectal neoplasia compared to standard colonoscopy procedures," said Dr. Michael B. Wallace, the Fred C. Andersen Professor at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and senior author of the study. "Colorectal cancer is almost entirely preventable with proper screening," says Dr. Wallace. "The substantial decrease in miss rate using AI reassures health care providers on the decreased risk of perceptual errors." The study represents a significant milestone in AI-assisted medical diagnostics, demonstrating how machine learning algorithms can meaningfully improve clinical outcomes in routine screening procedures. The AI system used in the trial was designed to assist endoscopists in real-time by highlighting potentially missed lesions during the procedure.