How machine learning could help doctors improve the reading of medical images

CHICAGO - The radiology world has been abuzz with discussions of machine learning and what artificial intelligence may mean for the future of the field. The goal is for the technology to quickly scan medical images and prioritize abnormal results, allowing doctors to spend their time on the more difficult cases. The machines would also provide a check on human error. Companies are jumping on board. IBM Watson Health, which acquired enterprise imaging software company Merge Healthcare in 2015, plans to put its Watson supercomputer to work analyzing medical images. One of its projects, presented at the Radiological Society of North America's annual conference, focuses on research around aortic stenosis, a heart condition that occurs when the aortic valve narrows.