Reliable and easy-to-use calculating tool for the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index using deep learning

• Published in: NPJ systems biology and applications Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 130 - 7
• Main Authors: Horikawa, Hiroto, Tanese, Keiji, Nonaka, Naoki, Seita, Jun, Amagai, Masayuki, Saito, Masataka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 07.11.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/114; 692/699; Accuracy; Adult; Annotations; Bioinformatics; Biology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Computational Biology/Bioinformatics; Computer Appl. in Life Sciences; Deep Learning; Dermatology; Female; Humans; Life Sciences; Male; Medical practices; Middle Aged; Nail Diseases - diagnosis; Nails - pathology; Observer Variation; Psoriasis; Psoriasis - diagnosis; Reproducibility of Results; Severity of Illness Index; Systems Biology
• DOI: 10.1038/s41540-024-00458-x
• ISSN: 2056-7189

Since nail psoriasis restricts the patient’s daily activities, therapeutic intervention based on reliable and reproducible evaluation is critical. The Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) is a validated scoring tool, but its usefulness is limited by interobserver variability. This study aimed to develop a reliable and accurate NAPSI scoring tool using deep learning. The tool “NAPSI calculator” includes two parts: nail detection from images and NAPSI scoring. NAPSI was annotated by nine nail experts who are board-certified dermatologists with sufficient experience in a specialized clinic for nail diseases. In the final test set, the “NAPSI calculator” correctly located 137/138 nails and scored NAPSI with higher accuracy than the compared six non-board-certified residents: 83.9% vs 65.7%; P  = 0.008 and four board-certified non-nail expert dermatologists: 83.9% vs 73.0%; P  = 0.005. The “NAPSI calculator” can be readily used in a clinical situation, contributing to raising the medical practice level for nail psoriasis.