BACKGROUND

Accurate staging of hepatic fibrosis is critical for prognostication and management among patients with chronic liver disease, and noninvasive, efficient alternatives to biopsy are urgently needed. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of an automated deep learning (DL) algorithm for fibrosis staging and for differentiating patients with hepatic fibrosis from healthy individuals via magnetic resonance (MR) images with and without additional clinical data.

METHODS

A total of 500 patients from two medical centers were retrospectively analyzed. DL models were developed based on delayed-phase MR images to predict fibrosis stages. Additional models were constructed by integrating the DL algorithm with nonimaging variables, including serologic biomarkers [aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4)], viral status (hepatitis B and C), and MR scanner parameters. Diagnostic performance, was assessed via the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), and comparisons were through use of the DeLong test. Sensitivity and specificity of the DL and full models (DL plus all clinical features) were compared with those of experienced radiologists and serologic biomarkers via the McNemar test.

RESULTS

In the test set, the full model achieved AUROC values of 0.99 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.94-1.00], 0.98 (95% CI: 0.93-0.99), 0.90 (95% CI: 0.83-0.95), 0.81 (95% CI: 0.73-0.88), and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.76-0.90) for staging F0-4, F1-4, F2-4, F3-4, and F4, respectively. This model significantly outperformed the DL model in early-stage classification (F0-4 and F1-4). Compared with expert radiologists, it showed superior specificity for F0-4 and higher sensitivity across the other four classification tasks. Both the DL and full models showed significantly greater specificity than did the biomarkers for staging advanced fibrosis (F3-4 and F4).

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed DL algorithm provides a noninvasive method for hepatic fibrosis staging and screening, outperforming both radiologists and conventional biomarkers, and may facilitate improved clinical decision-making.