Background: Carotid plaque is a buildup in the walls of the arteries of the neck that is associated with the onset of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This study examined whether general practitioners (GPs) in China could reliably detect carotid plaque using AI-enhanced point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) following structured training. Seven GPs across four Shanghai community health centers completed approximately five weeks of training before screening 169 older adults at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
What They Found: Compared against expert ultrasonologists, the GPs correctly identified plaque when it was present 87% of the time and correctly cleared patients when no plaque existed 91% of the time. Overall agreement with expert readings was strong. Missed cases were concentrated at the fork where the carotid artery splits and performance varied across the seven GPs.
Implications: These findings offer early evidence that structured training paired with AI-assisted point-of-care ultrasound can extend carotid plaque screening into community primary care.
Diagnostic Performance of General Practitioners in Carotid Plaque Detection Using AI-Enhanced Point-of-Care Ultrasound After Systematic Training
Corresponding author: Xiaochuan Liu, MD, et al
Department of General Practice, Zhongshan hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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