New York: Breast ultrasound elastography is an emergingimaging technique that provides information about a potential breast lesion andresearchers have identified the critical role AI can play in making thistechnique more efficient and accurate.

Using more precise information about the characteristics ofa cancerous versus non-cancerous breast lesion, this methodology usingArtificial Intelligence (AI) has demonstrated more accuracy compared totraditional modes of imaging.

In the study published in the journal Computer Methods inApplied Mechanics and Engineering, Indian-origin researchers Dhruv Patel andAssad Oberai from the University of Southern California showed that it ispossible to train a machine to interpret real-world images using synthetic dataand streamline the steps to diagnosis. In the case of breast ultrasoundelastography, once an image of the affected area is taken, it is analysed todetermine displacements inside the tissue. Using this data and the physicallaws of mechanics, the spatial distribution of mechanical properties, like itsstiffness, is determined.