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A new AI tool can accurately spot tiny brain lesions that cause severe epilepsy in children.
A joint research team from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), Australia's largest child health research institute, and The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) developed the tool called "AI epilepsy detective."
FINDINGS
In training the AI, the team utilised MRI and FDG-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scans from 71 children at RCH and 23 adults at the Austin Hospital with cortical dysplasia and focal epilepsy. Researchers noted that 80% of the patients had been misdiagnosed.
Based on findings published in Epilepsia, the AI demonstrated up to 94% accuracy in identifying focal cortical dysplasias. It was also found that of the 17 children in the test group, 12 had surgery and 11 are now seizure-free.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Harvard Medical School and the Austin Hospital also contributed to the study.
WHY IT MATTERS
Cortical dysplasias are difficult to detect on routine MRI scans, with fewer than half of cases identified during a child's first scan, according to research lead and neurologist Dr Emma Macdonald-Laurs. These lesions, often only 0.2 to 0.6 inches in size, can easily be missed, delaying diagnosis and preventing timely referral for epilepsy surgery.
Epilepsy affects about one in 200 children, and cortical dysplasias, which develop in the womb, commonly cause treatment-resistant seizures. Prolonged uncontrolled seizures also raise the risk of intellectual disability in children, Dr Macdonald-Laurs warned.
Accurately identifying focal cortical dysplasias can lead to faster referrals for epilepsy surgery and fewer seizures.
"Identifying the cause early lets us tailor treatment options and helps neurosurgeons plan and navigate surgery," she added. The tool can help surgeons avoid critical blood vessels and brain regions that control speech, thinking and movement and refrain from removing healthy brain tissue. It also lessens children's chances of undergoing invasive testing.
The research team is seeking funding to test their AI model in paediatric hospitals across the country.
THE LARGER TREND
The application of AI has driven improvements in epilepsy diagnosis and treatment across the Asia-Pacific in recent years. In India, for example, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi have developed algorithms that identify epileptic zones from EEG data within minutes.
Meanwhile, a Monash University-led study has demonstrated an AI model that predicts the optimal anti-seizure medication for newly diagnosed epilepsy patients.
