Research Progress on the Application of Artificial Intelligence in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic, relapsing inflammatory bowel disorders, primarily comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). As global prevalence continues to rise and understanding of IBD deepens, research on the diagnosis and treatment of IBD has become a priority for scholars, with early diagnosis and precision treatment being two key areas of focus. However, because current diagnostic methods for IBD lack a gold standard and are subject to the subjective judgment of physicians, they have inherent limitations. In recent years, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has provided new approaches and methods for the diagnosis and treatment of IBD. Leveraging its strengths in image analysis and processing, big data analysis, and predictive modeling, AI technology has been successfully applied and validated in certain clinical settings. Furthermore, it can integrate the Four Diagnostic Methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and tongue diagnosis data to enable intelligent pattern differentiation, thereby assisting in the development of integrated TCM-Western medicine treatment plans. This article aims to review the current status of AI technology applications in the integrated diagnosis and treatment of IBD, elucidate its applications and advantages in early diagnosis, pathological analysis, imaging examinations, disease prediction, personalized Western medical treatment, TCM pattern identification and treatment, and integrated TCM-Western medical interventions, and discuss the challenges it faces and future directions for development.