Deep-learning single-shot detector for automatic detection of brain metastases with the combined use of contrast-enhanced and non-enhanced computed tomography images

Abstract

Purpose: To develop a deep-learning object detection model for automatic detection of brain metastases that simultaneously uses contrast-enhanced and non-enhanced images as inputs, and to compare its performance with that of a model that uses only contrast-enhanced images.

Method: A total of 116 computed tomography (CT) scans of 116 patients with brain metastases were included in this study. They showed a total of 659 metastases, 428 of which were used for training and validation (mean size, 11.3 ± 9.9 mm) and 231 were used for testing (mean size, 9.0 ± 7.0 mm). Single-shot detector (SSD) models were constructed with a feature fusion module, and their results were compared per lesion at a confidence threshold of 50%.

Results: The sensitivity was 88.7% for the model that used both contrast-enhanced and non-enhanced CT images (the CE + NECT model) and 87.6% for the model that used only contrast-enhanced CT images (the CECT model). The positive predictive value (PPV) was 44.0% for the CE + NECT model and 37.2% for the CECT model. The number of false positives per patient was 9.9 for the CE + NECT model and 13.6 for the CECT model. The CE + NECT model had a significantly higher PPV (t test, p < 0.001), significantly fewer false positives (t test, p < 0.001), and a tendency to be more sensitive (t test, p = 0.14).

Conclusions: The results indicate that the information on true contrast enhancement obtained by comparing the contrast-enhanced and non-enhanced images may prevent the detection of pseudolesions, suppress false positives, and improve the performance of deep-learning object detection models.

Keywords: Brain metastasis; Brain tumors; Computer-aided detection; Deep learning; Machine learning; Single-shot detectors.