Towards clinical application of artificial intelligence in ultrasound imaging

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly adopted in medical research and applications. Medical AI devices have continuously been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States and the responsible institutions of other countries. Ultrasound (US) imaging is commonly used in an extensive range of medical fields. However, AI-based US imaging analysis and its clinical implementation have not progressed steadily compared to other medical imaging modalities. The characteristic issues of US imaging owing to its manual operation and acoustic shadows cause difficulties in image quality control. In this review, we would like to introduce the global trends of medical AI research in US imaging from both clinical and basic perspectives. We also discuss US image preprocessing, ingenious algorithms that are suitable for US imaging analysis, AI explainability for obtaining informed consent, the approval process of medical AI devices, and future perspectives towards the clinical application of AI-based US diagnostic support technologies.