Background: Ultrasonography is the most widely used technique to diagnose echinococcosis; however, challenges in using this technique and the demand on medical resources, especially in low-income or remote areas, can delay diagnosis. We aimed to develop a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) model based on ultrasonography to identify echinococcosis and its types, especially alveolar echinococcosis.
Methods: This retrospective, large-scale, multicentre study used ultrasound images from patients assessed at 84 hospitals in China, obtained between Jan 1, 2002, and Dec 31, 2021.