Artificial intelligence can support doctors in diagnosing heart disease and predicting complications in patients after a heart attack, according to research by an international team of scientists, co-authored by Prof. Tomasz Roleder from the Faculty of Medicine at Wrocław University of Technology. The results were published in the prestigious European Heart Journal, published by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

The publication, entitled “Artificial intelligence-based identification of thin-capped fibroids and clinical outcomes: the PECTUS-AI study,” was produced in collaboration with Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen and Amsterdam University Medical Center. The research focused on the use of AI in the analysis of images obtained by optical coherence tomography (OCT), which allows for extremely precise assessment of coronary artery atherosclerosis.

The team demonstrated that AI algorithms can effectively identify high-risk lesions and predict adverse cardiovascular events, offering an alternative to traditional image analysis.

The use of AI in OCT studies may in the future help clinicians detect high-risk patients earlier, plan preventive therapies, and streamline work in cardiac catheterization laboratories.