Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can detect carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a nerve-related disorder. CTS occurs when the median nerve in the wrist is compressed, leading to symptoms such as numbness, tingling, or pain. The AI tool developed by IISc researchers in collaboration with Aster-CMI Hospital, Bengaluru detects CTS by identifying the median nerve in ultrasound videos.
CTS is one of the most common nerve-related disorders, specifically affecting individuals who perform repetitive hand movements, such as office staff who work with keyboards, assembly line workers, and sportspersons, they said.
Currently, doctors use ultrasound to visualize the median nerve and assess its size, shape, and any abnormalities. However, interpreting ultrasound images and videos can be challenging, especially in regions where the boundaries of the nerve are not clear.
To address this challenge, the researchers developed an AI tool based on a machine learning model with a transformer architecture.
The model was originally designed to detect multiple objects in YouTube videos but was modified to focus on tracking the median nerve in ultrasound videos. The researchers collected and annotated ultrasound videos from both healthy participants and individuals with CTS to train the model. Doctors currently use ultrasound to visualise the median nerve, and assess its size, shape, and any potential abnormalities.
“But unlike X-rays and MRI scans, it is hard to detect what is going on in ultrasound images and videos,” said Karan R Gujarati, a former MTech student at IISc.
“At the wrist, the nerve is quite visible, its boundaries are clear, but if you go down to the elbow region, there are many other structures, and the boundaries of the nerve are not clear,” said Gujarati, first author of the study published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control.
Tracking the median nerve is also important for treatments that require doctors to administer local anaesthesia to the forearm or block the median nerve to provide pain relief.
“Imagine a video of an autonomous car. If the car is moving on the road, you want to track the car,” said study corresponding author Phaneendra K Yalavarthy, Professor at CDS. “In the same way, we are able to track the nerve throughout the video,” Yalavarthy said.
The model was also able to automatically measure the cross-sectional area of the nerve, which is used to diagnose CTS. This measurement is performed manually by a sonographer.
“The tool automates this process. It measures the cross-sectional area in real time,” said Bathala.
