Artificial intelligence assisted colorectal lesion detection in private practices a randomized controlled study

Data availability

As required by the study's ethics vote, the datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy concerns but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The underlying code for this study and training/validation datasets are not publicly available for proprietary reasons.

Code availability

The underlying code for this study and training/validation datasets are not publicly available for proprietary reasons.

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Acknowledgements

A.H. and W.G.Z. receive public funding for this work from the state government of Baden-Württemberg, Germany (Funding cluster Forum Gesundheitsstandort Baden-Württemberg, grant number 5-5409.0-001.01/15) to research and develop artificial intelligence applications for polyp detection in screening colonoscopy. Additional funding sources to support this work were the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation, Waiblingen, Germany, the Fischerwerke GmbH & Co. KG, Waldachtal, Germany, and the Dieter von Holtzbrinck Stiftung GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany. The authors acknowledge the support by Prof. J.F. Riemann, “Stiftung Lebensblicke” the Foundation for early detection of colon cancer.

Funding

Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.

Author information

Author notes

• These authors contributed equally: Thomas J. Lux, Zita Saßmannshausen.

Authors and Affiliations

• Interventional and Experimental Endoscopy (InExEn), Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

Thomas J. Lux, Zita Saßmannshausen, Ioannis Kafetzis, Michael Banck, Adrian Krenzer, Daniel Fitting, Boban Sudarevic, Joel Troya, Alexander Meining & Alexander Hann

• Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Systems, Institute for Computer Science, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

Michael Banck, Adrian Krenzer & Frank Puppe

• Gastroenterological practice Dres. Boeck/Haegele, Ulm, Germany

Wolfgang Boeck

• Gastroenterological practice Bad Saulgau, Bad Saulgau, Germany

Frank Passek

• Gastroenterological practice Heubach-Begetopoulos, Waiblingen, Germany

Tobias Heubach

• Gastroenterological practice Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany

Benjamin Simonis

• Gastroenterological practice Andernach, Andernach, Germany

Franz J. Heil

• Gastroenterological practice Dornstadt, Dornstadt, Germany

Leopold Ludwig

• Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Katharinenhospital, Stuttgart, Germany

Wolfram G. Zoller

Authors

• Thomas J. Lux
• Zita Saßmannshausen
• Ioannis Kafetzis
• Michael Banck
• Adrian Krenzer
• Daniel Fitting
• Boban Sudarevic
• Joel Troya
• Wolfgang Boeck
• Frank Passek
• Tobias Heubach
• Benjamin Simonis
• Franz J. Heil
• Leopold Ludwig
• Frank Puppe
• Wolfram G. Zoller
• Alexander Meining
• Alexander Hann

Contributions

A.H. designed the study, drafted the manuscript, and developed the polyp detection system. T.J.L. designed the study, drafted the manuscript, and performed statistical analysis. Z.S. designed the study and drafted the manuscript. DF designed the study, drafted the manuscript, and developed the polyp detection system. I.K. performed statistical analysis. W.B. recruited patients, performed colonoscopy procedures, and/or participated in the data collection. F.P.a. recruited patients, performed colonoscopy procedures, and/or participated in the data collection. T.H. recruited patients, performed colonoscopy procedures, and/or participated in the data collection. B.S. recruited patients, performed colonoscopy procedures and/or participated in the data collection, and developed the polyp detection system. F.J.H. recruited patients, performed colonoscopy procedures, and/or participated in the data collection. W.G.Z. recruited patients, performed colonoscopy procedures, and/or participated in the data collection. M.B. developed the polyp detection system. A.K. developed the polyp detection system. J.T. developed the polyp detection system. F.P.u. developed the polyp detection system. L.L. critically revised the draft for important intellectual content. A.M. critically revised the draft for important intellectual content. All the authors revised and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander Hann.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

T.J.L.: Research Support: Gastroenterology Foundation, Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für klinische Forschung Würzburg. Honoraria for lectures: MPC Medical Professionalist GmbH. AM: Royalties: Ovesco Endoscopy AG, Consulting fees: Ovesco Endoscopy AG, Pentax Medical, Honoraria for lectures: Falk Foundation, AbbVie, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Advisory board: Luvos Heilerde. FPa: Consulting fees: Johnson&Johnson, Support for travel: AbbVie, Participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board: Johnson&Johnson. The remaining authors have no financial, professional, or personal conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Lux, T.J., Saßmannshausen, Z., Kafetzis, I. et al. Artificial intelligence assisted colorectal lesion detection in private practices a randomized controlled study. npj Digit. Med. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-026-02576-8

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• Received: 03 January 2025
• Accepted: 14 March 2026
• Published: 01 April 2026
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-026-02576-8