Chest X-ray effusion volume estimation: AI comparable to radiologists, both moderately accurate vs CT

Radiologists and a general-purpose multimodal AI model show comparable moderate accuracy for pleural effusion volume on CXR (CT reference). Mean absolute errors: radiologists 250-300 mL, AI 264 mL; ICCs 0.64-0.74 vs 0.66.

• Correlation with CT-derived volumes was moderate for both radiologists (ICC 0.64 and 0.74) and the AI model (ICC 0.66).
• AUC for detecting effusions ≥300 mL was 0.84–0.90 for radiologists and 0.85 for AI.
• The intrinsic imprecision of chest radiography limits volume estimation regardless of interpreter.

Automated summary

RadPigeon summaries are original and for information only. They are not clinical advice.