Chinese Study Tests AI Assisted Ultrasound for Detecting Carotid Artery Plaque

General practitioners in Shanghai successfully used an AI assisted portable ultrasound to detect carotid artery plaque in high risk patients, according to a press release about a new study published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

Seven general practitioners completed a structured training program combining classroom and hands-on sessions before scanning 169 patients from four community health centers. The AI software analyzed ultrasound images in real time and marked potential plaque on screen for the operator. Each scan was also reviewed by senior ultrasound specialists, whose assessments served as the benchmark.

The general practitioners correctly identified about 87 percent of patients with plaque and correctly ruled out plaque in about 91 percent of those without it. Missed cases were mostly found at the carotid artery fork, an area where the researchers noted the AI system or user adaptation might be limited. Each scan took approximately eight minutes to complete.

The authors described this as the first study in China to test structured AI assisted ultrasound training for general practitioners in real clinical settings. They recommended that wider use of this method should include standardized training and further validation in larger practitioner groups.