From ACR O-RADS 2022 to Explainable Deep Learning: Comparative Performance of Expert Radiologists, Convolutional Neural Networks, Vision Transformers, and Fusion Models in Ovarian Masses

TL;DR

This study compares expert radiologist assessments with various deep learning models, including CNNs and Vision Transformers, in classifying ovarian masses, demonstrating that AI models outperform human interpretation and hybrid models further improve diagnostic accuracy.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive comparison of CNN and ViT models with radiologists using O-RADS 2022, and explores hybrid human-AI systems for ovarian lesion classification.

Findings

ViT models achieved the highest AUC of 0.941 and accuracy of 87.4%.

Hybrid human-AI models significantly improved CNN performance.

Deep learning models outperform radiologist assessments in ovarian mass classification.

Abstract

Background: The 2022 update of the Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting and Data System (O-RADS) ultrasound classification refines risk stratification for adnexal lesions, yet human interpretation remains subject to variability and conservative thresholds. Concurrently, deep learning (DL) models have demonstrated promise in image-based ovarian lesion characterization. This study evaluates radiologist performance applying O-RADS v2022, compares it to leading convolutional neural network (CNN) and Vision Transformer (ViT) models, and investigates the diagnostic gains achieved by hybrid human-AI frameworks. Methods: In this single-center, retrospective cohort study, a total of 512 adnexal mass images from 227 patients (110 with at least one malignant cyst) were included. Sixteen DL models, including DenseNets, EfficientNets, ResNets, VGGs, Xception, and ViTs, were trained and validated. A hybrid model integrating radiologist O-RADS scores with DL-predicted probabilities was also built for each scheme. Results: Radiologist-only O-RADS assessment achieved an AUC of 0.683 and an overall accuracy of 68.0%. CNN models yielded AUCs of 0.620 to 0.908 and accuracies of 59.2% to 86.4%, while ViT16-384 reached the best performance, with an AUC of 0.941 and an accuracy of 87.4%. Hybrid human-AI frameworks further significantly enhanced the performance of CNN models; however, the improvement for ViT models was not statistically significant (P-value >0.05). Conclusions: DL models markedly outperform radiologist-only O-RADS v2022 assessment, and the integration of expert scores with AI yields the highest diagnostic accuracy and discrimination. Hybrid human-AI paradigms hold substantial potential to standardize pelvic ultrasound interpretation, reduce false positives, and improve detection of high-risk lesions.