Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41107797›Full record

ArticleBMC medical imaging2025

Ensemble deep learning model for accurate assessment of renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease using two-dimensional shear wave elastography images.

Dalin Ye, Zhaoxing Ou, Feile Ye, Shuqing Wang, Tong Li, Shushan Zhang, Jiaxin Chen, Yongquan Huang, Zhongzhen Su

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical imaging, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Kidney Elastography in Adult Nephrology: A Narrative Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Dalin Ye *Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No.52, Meihua East Road, Zhuhai, 519000, China.
Zhaoxing Ou *Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No.52, Meihua East Road, Zhuhai, 519000, China.
Feile Ye *Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No.52, Meihua East Road, Zhuhai, 519000, China.
Shuqing WangDepartment of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No.52, Meihua East Road, Zhuhai, 519000, China.
Tong LiDepartment of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No.52, Meihua East Road, Zhuhai, 519000, China.
Shushan ZhangDepartment of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No.52, Meihua East Road, Zhuhai, 519000, China.
Jiaxin ChenDepartment of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No.52, Meihua East Road, Zhuhai, 519000, China. chenjx23@mail2.sysu.edu.cn.
Yongquan HuangDepartment of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No.52, Meihua East Road, Zhuhai, 519000, China. huangyq39@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Zhongzhen SuDepartment of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, No.52, Meihua East Road, Zhuhai, 519000, China. suzhzh3@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

Funding

Excellent Young Researchers Program of the 5th Affiliated Hospital of SYSU WYYXQN-2021010The Core Talent Fund of the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University 310103050302-220904094228
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe accuracy of shear wave elastography for non-invasive assessment of renal fibrosis (RF) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) needs further improvement. We developed a tool using an ensemble deep learning model (EDLM) that can accurately assess RF in CKD patients based solely on two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) images.

methodsRetrospective data were collected from CKD patients between April 2019 and October 2024, along with renal 2D-SWE images obtained before biopsy. Pathological evaluation was the reference standard of RF. All patients were randomly divided into training, validation, and test sets in a 7:1:2 ratio. An EDLM integrating three convolutional neural networks (ResNet18, DenseNet121, and EfficientNet-b7) through a voting strategy at the output level was developed and validated using 2D-SWE images. The diagnostic performance of the EDLM was compared with that of radiologists.

resultsA total of 286 CKD patients (mean age ± standard deviation: 41.86 ± 14.94, males: 162) and 858 2D-SWE images (mild RF: 405, moderate-severe RF: 453) were included. In the test set, EDLM achieved an accuracy of 93.0% (95% CI: 88.1, 95.9), negative predictive value of 89.6% (95% CI: 81.5, 94.5), positive predictive value of 96.4% (95% CI: 90.0, 98.8), specificity of 96.3% (95% CI: 89.7, 98.7), and sensitivity of 90.0% (95% CI: 82.1, 94.7). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the EDLM was 0.989, surpassing experienced radiologist by 0.186 (P < 0.001) and less experienced radiologist by 0.279 (P < 0.001).

conclusionEDLM based on 2D-SWE images significantly improved the diagnostic performance of RF in CKD. The EDLM was expected to be a potential tool for accurately non-invasive assessment of RF in CKD.

Indexed as

Deep LearningElasticity Imaging TechniquesKidneyRenal Insufficiency, ChronicAdultConvolutional Neural NetworksEnsemble LearningFemaleFibrosisHumansImage Interpretation, Computer-AssistedMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesROC CurveSensitivity and SpecificityChronic kidney diseaseEnsemble deep learning modelRenal fibrosisTwo-dimensional shear wave elastography

Identifiers

PMID41107797
PMCPMC12534912

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.