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Brenac et al. Art Int Surg 2024;4:296-315 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ais.2024.49 Page 312

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successful integration of AI into clinical practice .

Given these challenges, it is essential to standardize the methodologies for using AI in surgical practice and
patient care. Future studies should focus on developing uniform protocols for data collection and analysis,
which can be achieved by implementing standardized imaging techniques, applying consistent data
annotation, and establishing clear criteria for validating the accuracy of AI tools. These protocols would
help support the production of reliable and comparable results by AI, regardless of the clinical setting or
patient demographic. In addition to standardization, future research should prioritize conducting
longitudinal studies to best assess the sustainability and long-term outcomes of AI-assisted procedures.
These efforts will help researchers pinpoint areas where AI provides significant benefits and where further
improvements can be made.

CONCLUSION
With ongoing increases in healthcare data collection and the efficacy of AI tools, the utility of AI models for
improving patient-specific care continues to grow. AI applications may become integral to various areas of
plastic surgery, including breast reconstruction, craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, burns and wound
healing surgery. Further, AI can assist surgeons in providing more detailed preoperative counseling to
patients and may also improve patient-surgeon communication. Automated postoperative simulations may
also be increasingly utilized before surgery to help patients understand the expectations of an operation,
answer patients’ questions, and ultimately improve postoperative satisfaction. In the future, these
personalized simulations may be combined with 3D modeling and printing techniques to create patient-
specific constructs for reconstructive procedures. However, it is crucial to ensure that the adoption of these
technologies does not negatively impact the patient-surgeon relationship by decreasing physical
examination, exposing the patient to data security concerns, or introducing any other unintended
consequences. Nonetheless, the utilization of AI in surgery continues to grow rapidly, and these new tools
have already demonstrated the potential to enable more time-efficient, precise, and patient-specific clinical
care.

DECLARATIONS
Authors’ contributions
Made substantial contributions to the conception and design of the study: Brenac C, Fazilat AZ, Guo JL
Writing and editing: Brenac C, Fazilat AZ, Guo JL, Fallah M, Kawamoto-Duran D, Sunwoo P
Made the figures: Brenac C
Conception and review of the manuscript: Wan DC, Guo JL, Longaker MT

Availability of data and materials
Not applicable.

Financial support and sponsorship
Brenac C is supported by the University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1, “Année recherche”.

Conflicts of interest
All authors declared that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.