Impact of Commercial Artificial Intelligence on Radiologist Reading Time for Pulmonary Nodule Evaluation at Chest CT.

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Abstract

Background Chest CT is a primary method for identifying pulmonary nodules, yet interpreting scans remains time-intensive and demanding. Currently, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to reduce reading times, but the effect of AI on reporting times in this setting is unknown. Purpose To evaluate the impact of a commercial AI software on radiologists' reading time for pulmonary nodule assessment on chest CT scans within a real-world clinical setting. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included patients who underwent chest CT examinations at a tertiary medical center between September 2021 and May 2024. The study period was divided into pre- and post-AI phases. The primary outcome was radiology reporting time. The association between AI implementation and reporting time was evaluated using a multivariable parametric Weibull shared frailty survival model adjusted for reader function, examination type, patient location, and requesting specialty, with clustering at the radiologist level. Interaction analyses assessed heterogeneity across prespecified subgroups. An exploratory extrapolation estimated projected workforce and financial impact. Results This study included 19 433 patients (mean age, 62 years ± 14.2 [SD]; 21 814 men; 39 323 chest CT examinations, 19 190 pre-AI, and 20 133 post-AI). AI implementation was associated with faster report completion (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.17; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.21; <i>P</i> < .001). The adjusted median reporting time decreased from 21.3 minutes pre-AI to 18.2 minutes post-AI (14.6% reduction; <i>P</i> < .001). Heterogeneity was observed across reader function (<i>P</i> < .001), examination type (<i>P</i> = .048), and requesting specialty (<i>P</i> = .03). The largest relative reductions were observed for CT thorax electrocardiogram-gated examinations (-41.1%; <i>P</i> < .001) and thoracic radiologists (-25.0%; <i>P</i> < .001), whereas emergency department examinations showed increased median reporting time (7.1%; <i>P</i> < .001). At institutional scan volumes (approximately 20 000-22 000 chest CT examinations annually), exploratory modeling suggested an approximate reduction of 0.5 full-time equivalent radiologist workload. Conclusion Implementation of commercial AI-assisted pulmonary nodule assessment on chest CT scans reduced radiologist reporting time in a real-world clinical setting. © The Author(s) 2026. Published by the Radiological Society of North America under a CC BY 4.0 license. <i>Supplemental material is available for this article.</i> See also the editorial by Iwasawa in this issue.

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