Differentiation of Focal-Type Autoimmune Pancreatitis From Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Using Radiomics Based on Multiphasic Computed Tomography

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop a radiomics model for a differential diagnosis of focal-type autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: A total of 96 patients, 45 with AIP and 51 with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, were retrospectively evaluated. All patients underwent pretreatment abdominal computed tomography imaging acquired at noncontrast, arterial, and venous phases. Furthermore, 1160 radiomics features were extracted from each phasic image to build radiomics models. The performance of radiomics model was evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The results of radiomics model were also compared with those of radiologists' visual assessments. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the optimal radiomics model were 93.3%, 96.1%, and 94.8%, respectively. They were higher than those of the radiologists' assessments with sensitivity of 57.78% and 73.33%, specificity of 88.24% and 90.20%, and accuracy of 75.00% and 81.25%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Radiomics is helpful for a differential diagnosis of AIP in clinical practice as a noninvasive and quantitative method.