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World J Gastroenterol. Jan 21, 2023; 29(3): 508-520
Published online Jan 21, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i3.508
Artificial intelligence and inflammatory bowel disease: Where are we going?
Leonardo Da Rio, Marco Spadaccini, Tommaso Lorenzo Parigi, Roberto Gabbiadini, Arianna Dal Buono, Anita Busacca, Roberta Maselli, Alessandro Fugazza, Matteo Colombo, Silvia Carrara, Gianluca Franchellucci, Ludovico Alfarone, Antonio Facciorusso, Cesare Hassan, Alessandro Repici, Alessandro Armuzzi
Leonardo Da Rio, Marco Spadaccini, Roberta Maselli, Alessandro Fugazza, Matteo Colombo, Silvia Carrara, Gianluca Franchellucci, Ludovico Alfarone, Cesare Hassan, Alessandro Repici, Department of Endoscopy, Humanitas Research Hospital, IRCCS, Rozzano 20089, Milano, Italy
Leonardo Da Rio, Marco Spadaccini, Tommaso Lorenzo Parigi, Roberta Maselli, Gianluca Franchellucci, Ludovico Alfarone, Cesare Hassan, Alessandro Repici, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Rozzano 20089, Milano, Italy
Tommaso Lorenzo Parigi, Roberto Gabbiadini, Arianna Dal Buono, Anita Busacca, Alessandro Armuzzi, IBD Center, Humanitas Research Hospital, IRCCS, Rozzano 20089, Milano, Italy
Antonio Facciorusso, Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia 71122, Foggia, Italy
Author contributions: Da Rio L, Parigi TL, and Spadaccini M performed the research and wrote the manuscript; Gabbiadini R, Dal Buono A, Busacca A, Maselli R, Fugazza A, Colombo M, Carrara S, Alfarone L, Facciorusso A, Hassan C, Repici A, and Armuzzi A critically reviewed the content of the paper; Repici A and Armuzzi A supervised the project; All authors read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Alessandro Armuzzi has received: consultancy/advisory board fees from AbbVie; Allergan, Amgen, Arena, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Ferring, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, MSD, Mylan, Pfizer, Protagonist-Therapeutics, Roche, Samsung Bioepis, Sandoz, and Takeda; lecture fees from AbbVie; Amgen, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Ferring, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Samsung Bioepis, Sandoz, Takeda and Tigenix; research grants from MSD, Takeda, Pfizer and Biogen; Cesare Hassan has received fees for serving as a consultant for and equipment loan from Medtronic and Fujifilm; Alessandro Repici has received fees for serving as a consultant for and equipment loan from Medtronic and Fujifilm.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marco Spadaccini, MD, Doctor, Department of Endoscopy, Humanitas Research Hospital, IRCCS, 56 Via Manzoni, Rozzano 20089, Milano, Italy. marco.spadaccini@humanitas.it
Received: September 27, 2022
Peer-review started: September 27, 2022
First decision: October 30, 2022
Revised: December 5, 2022
Accepted: December 27, 2022
Article in press: December 27, 2022
Published online: January 21, 2023
Processing time: 106 Days and 12.8 Hours
Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases, namely ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are chronic and relapsing conditions that pose a growing burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Because of their complex and partly unknown etiology and pathogenesis, the management of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease can prove challenging not only from a clinical point of view but also for resource optimization. Artificial intelligence, an umbrella term that encompasses any cognitive function developed by machines for learning or problem solving, and its subsets machine learning and deep learning are becoming ever more essential tools with a plethora of applications in most medical specialties. In this regard gastroenterology is no exception, and due to the importance of endoscopy and imaging numerous clinical studies have been gradually highlighting the relevant role that artificial intelligence has in inflammatory bowel diseases as well. The aim of this review was to summarize the most recent evidence on the use of artificial intelligence in inflammatory bowel diseases in various contexts such as diagnosis, follow-up, treatment, prognosis, cancer surveillance, data collection, and analysis. Moreover, insights into the potential further developments in this field and their effects on future clinical practice were discussed.

Keywords: Inflammatory bowel disease; Artificial intelligence; Machine learning; Crohn’s disease; Ulcerative colitis; Computer-aided diagnosis

Core Tip: Management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease is complex and costly. Therefore, in this field being able to improve clinical efficiency and optimize healthcare resources is of paramount importance. In this regard, artificial intelligence appears to be an extremely promising tool with a significantly wide range of potential applications that encompass diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. This review summarized the most recent significant scientific findings regarding the application of artificial intelligence in inflammatory bowel diseases, providing a picture of the current state of the field and future perspectives.