Objective: To update the literature and provide a systematic review of image-based artificial intelligence (AI) applications in otolaryngology, highlight its advances, and propose future challenges.
Data sources: Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library.
Review methods: Studies written in English, published between January 2020 and December 2022. Two independent authors screened the search results, extracted data, and assessed studies.
Results: Overall, 686 studies were identified. After screening titles and abstracts, 325 full-text studies were assessed for eligibility, and 78 studies were included in this systematic review. The studies originated from 16 countries. Among these countries, the top 3 were China (n = 29), Korea (n = 8), the United States, and Japan (n = 7 each). The most common area was otology (n = 35), followed by rhinology (n = 20), pharyngology (n = 18), and head and neck surgery (n = 5). Most applications of AI in otology, rhinology, pharyngology, and head and neck surgery mainly included chronic otitis media (n = 9), nasal polyps (n = 4), laryngeal cancer (n = 12), and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (n = 3), respectively. The overall performance of AI in accuracy, the area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity were 88.39 ± 9.78%, 91.91 ± 6.70%, 86.93 ± 11.59%, and 88.62 ± 14.03%, respectively.
Conclusion: This state-of-the-art review aimed to highlight the increasing applications of image-based AI in otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery. The following steps will entail multicentre collaboration to ensure data reliability, ongoing optimization of AI algorithms, and integration into real-world clinical practice. Future studies should consider 3-dimensional (3D)-based AI, such as 3D surgical AI.
Keywords: artificial intelligence; computed tomography; endoscopic images; machine learning; medical imaging; otolaryngology; rhinology.
© 2023 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.