AI-Generated Content Enhanced Computer-Aided Diagnosis Model for Thyroid Nodules: A ChatGPT-Style Assistant

Abstract

An artificial intelligence-generated content-enhanced computer-aided diagnosis (AIGC-CAD) model, designated as ThyGPT, has been developed. This model, inspired by the architecture of ChatGPT, could assist radiologists in assessing the risk of thyroid nodules through semantic-level human-machine interaction. A dataset comprising 19,165 thyroid nodule ultrasound cases from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital was assembled to facilitate the training and validation of the model. After training, ThyGPT could automatically evaluate thyroid nodule and engage in effective communication with physicians through human-computer interaction. The performance of ThyGPT was rigorously quantified using established metrics such as the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. The empirical findings revealed that radiologists, when supplemented with ThyGPT, markedly surpassed the diagnostic acumen of their peers utilizing traditional methods as well as the performance of the model in isolation. These findings suggest that AIGC-CAD systems, exemplified by ThyGPT, hold the promise to fundamentally transform the diagnostic workflows of radiologists in forthcoming years.