Artificial intelligence improves congenital heart defect detection on prenatal ultrasounds

Artificial intelligence improves congenital heart defect detection on prenatal ultrasounds | Image Credit: © WavebreakMediaMicro - © WavebreakMediaMicro - stock.adobe.com.

A new study presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) can assist clinicians in better detecting congenital heart defects during routine prenatal ultrasounds.¹

Congenital heart defects, which are abnormalities of the heart present at birth, are the most common type of birth defect. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 4 babies born with a heart defect has a condition severe enough to require surgery or other medical intervention within the first year of life.² Despite advances in prenatal care, detection rates during routine ultrasounds remain suboptimal.

The study involved a group of 14 obstetrician-gynecologists and maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists with experience ranging from one to more than 30 years.

They reviewed 200 ultrasounds, both with and without the assistance of an AI-based software program. Researchers compared the data to assess whether the software improved the clinicians’ ability to detect cases suspicious for congenital heart defects.¹

Regardless of a physician’s experience level or subspecialty training, results showed that the AI system significantly enhanced their ability to detect cases suspicious for congenital heart defects. Additionally, the study found that clinicians' confidence levels in making these determinations improved, and they were able to reach conclusions more quickly.¹

“At least half of prenatal ultrasounds in the United States are being looked at by non-specialists, medical professionals — including ob-gyns — who may not be trained in prenatal ultrasound. That accounts for why the ability to detect congenital heart defects is still quite low, even in developed countries like the United States,” said the study’s lead author Jennifer Lam-Rachlin, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine subspecialist.¹

Lam-Rachlin is the director of fetal echocardiography at Carnegie Imaging for Women and assistant clinical professor in the Raquel and Jaime Gilinski Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai West in New York City.¹

She added, “Our findings show that the AI-based software significantly improved detection of ultrasounds that were suspicious for congenital heart defects not only among ob-gyns but also among maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists. This has a tremendous impact in terms of neonatal outcomes and has the potential to change clinical practice.”¹

Christophe Gardella, PhD, chief technical officer for BrightHeart, the Paris-based manufacturer of the AI-based software, highlighted the need for improved detection.¹

“Most congenital heart defects occur in pregnancies that are considered low risk, which means the pregnant person is most likely being seen by an OB-GYN versus a maternal-fetal medicine subspecialist who has more experience in detecting congenital heart defects,” he said. “We built our AI software with experts to help elevate the detection rate, even among non-specialists, and drive earlier diagnosis to improve outcomes.”¹

BrightHeart received FDA 510(k) clearance for its first AI software product in November 2024.¹

References:

1. Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. New study highlights AI’s potential to help doctors detect congenital heart defects. Eurekalert. January 30, 2025. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1071410

2. CDC. About Congenital Heart Defects. CDC. December 19, 2024. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-defects/about/index.html