New AI medical imaging ‘cuts X-ray radiation by 99%’: Hong Kong researchers

Hong Kong researchers have developed artificial intelligence (AI) technology that generates 3D bone and organ models for implants from X-ray images, which they claim reduces patients’ radiation exposure by up to 99 per cent compared to computed tomography (CT) scans.

The team at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) said they hoped that the technology would be adopted in the city’s public healthcare system as it could lead to substantial cost savings and shorter wait times for generating 3D medical models.

Currently, medical professionals rely on CT scans to produce 3D models of bones and organs for patients. However, this conventional method emits high levels of radiation, posing potential risks, especially to vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, and elderly patients who require frequent monitoring.

“CT imaging is widely used in medicine, but it has drawbacks, such as high radiation levels, lack of portability, and long waiting times for patients to undergo CT scans in Hong Kong,” said Professor Li Xiaomeng, assistant professor from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST.

“X-rays are cost-effective alternatives, but their limitation is the inability to achieve high-definition 3D images. Our AI technology compensates for this weakness.”

Li, who is also the associate director of the university’s Centre for Medical Imaging and Analysis, said 500 patient cases were used to train the AI model and 120 sets of data to compare its accuracy to that of CT scans.