Can AI write reports like a radiologist? A blinded evaluation of large language model-generated lumbar spine MRI reports.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To compare the quality and clinical usefulness of large language model (LLM)-generated lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reports with radiologist-written ones and assess whether medical professionals can distinguish between them.

Materials and methods

This retrospective observational single-center study was approved by the local ethics committee. A total of 125 lumbar spine MRI reports (104 human-written, 21 LLM-generated using ChatGPT-4o) were anonymized, randomized, and blindly evaluated by five medical professionals (one board-certified radiologist, two radiology residents, one general practitioner, one orthopedic surgeon), all with basic familiarity with LLM. Each report was scored on a five-point Likert scale for clinical relevance, clarity, compl

SUBMITTER: Zanardo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12929739 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature