OpenAI ChatGPT’s “opinion” on healthcare AI’s lowest-hanging fruit, if you want to take AI’s word for it.

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Medical Imaging

GE Focuses on Efficiency at RSNA 2022

GE Healthcare had yet another busy RSNA, highlighted by several major launches, and its continued focus on helping imaging teams work more efficiently.

MRI Efficiency – GE’s biggest RSNA launches were in its MRI lineup, and those new launches placed a direct target on workflow, resource, and cost efficiency.

• GE launched its SIGNA Experience MRI platform, which positions the new SIGNA One user interface as a “cornerstone” for managing a range of GE MRI technologies (AI, DLIR, technologist workflow solutions, AIR Coils), and simplifying MRI operations.
• GE also unveiled its forthcoming SIGNA Victor MRI (1.5T, 60cm), which will feature the new SIGNA Experience platform, and consumes significantly less power and helium (-10% & -70%).

Future-Forward CT – While GE Healthcare’s CT booth was highlighted by the modular/scalable Revolution Apex platform that launched at RSNA 2021, this year’s event brought news that GE’s latest photon counting CT prototype is beginning clinical evaluations at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (its first U.S. evaluations).

Partnership Plays – GE also announced a pair of partnerships that expand its capabilities beyond the scanners and solutions that it’s known for.

• GE Healthcare unveiled its OmnifyXR Interventional Suite augmented reality solution, which it co-developed with MediView to support IR visualization and remote collaboration.
• GE also entered the contrast media injector segment, signing an agreement with ulrich medical that will allow GE to sell the GE-branded CT Motion multi-dose syringeless CT contrast injector in the US.

Much More – GE Healthcare has been busy throughout 2022, so although the other products in its booth were still quite new, they’ve already been detailed in recent Imaging Wire issues. That includes the Definium 656 HD X-ray system, Omni Legend PET/CT, LOGIQ Fortis ultrasound, and the PACS-based intelligent workload management solution.

Hyperfine Swoop Perspectives

“This clinical experience, in a real critical time, proved that this ultra-low-field strength MRI, portable and self-shielding, could image patients in the most difficult circumstances.” That’s one of the clinical perspectives shared by Hyperfine Swoop users in this ASNR 2022 panel.

Annalise CXR In Action

Annalise.ai’s Annalise CXR solution detects up to 124 findings in a single chest X-ray. See how it detects such a wide range of abnormalities using these demo studies…  or upload your own CXR images.

The Wire

• RP Trending: Radiology Partners was a popular topic on radiology social platforms this week. A growing Twitter thread reports that nearly 50 RP rads in Phoenix have either left or cut their hours after their post-acquisition lockup period expired. Meanwhile, folks on the Aunt Minnie message boards are ranting about RP’s decision to stop servicing some Chicago area hospitals, leaving residents looking for new programs. Although it’s not uncommon for rads to look elsewhere after a lockup period, and RP can decide which hospitals/programs it serves, both threads were highly critical of the mega practice.

• Bayer MEDRAD Centargo: RSNA 2022 brought the U.S. debut of Bayer’s new MEDRAD Centargo CT Injection System (CE Marked, FDA pending), which leads with features intended to streamline daily (<2 minutes) and per-patient (<20 seconds) setup, allowing 40-63% estimated time savings compared to the MEDRAD Stellant CT Injection System.

• Real-World Rapid: RapidAI’s Rapid ASPECTS and Rapid CTA solutions achieved mixed clinical performance in a “real-world” clinical study of 104 patients’ CTs and CTAs (w/ 24 acute infarcts & 16 LVOs). Rapid ASPECTS demonstrated high sensitivity and NPV (87.5% & 87.5%) but “very poor” specificity and PPV (30.9% & 30.9%), resulting in a 51.1% false positive rate. RAPID CTA detected LVO with high sensitivity, specificity, and NPV (92.3%, 85.3%, 98.5%), and a moderate PPV (52.2%), resulting in a 12.5% false positive rate. 

• Federated Flywheel: Flywheel announced its entrance into the federated learning segment, unveiling its new breast imaging data network. Flywheel’s federated data network uses Flywheel Discovery to access/curate/standardize breast imaging data from providers’ internal platforms (e.g. image archives or EHR), then publishes de-identified data on the Flywheel Exchange for sharing with other organizations.

• UltraSight’s Echo Evidence: UltraSight released new data showing that its FDA-pending ultrasound AI guidance technology can help untrained clinicians capture high quality echo images. Nine novice clinicians using UltraSight AI and expert sonographers without AI performed echo exams on 240 patients. Both the novice and expert images were of high enough quality to support the vast majority of assessments for LV size (99.2% vs. 100% of exams), LV function (99.6% vs. 100%), RV size (93% vs. 97.9%), and the presence of pericardial effusion (100% vs. 98.3%).

• October Hospital Margins: Hospitals continue to face a tough outlook as we head into 2023, with Kaufman Hall’s latest National Flash Report showing that median operating margins dropped to -0.5% through October (down from -0.1% in September). The steep margin decline comes as labor expenses resumed their climb with a 3% increase in October alone (now up 10% this year), with the report also showing that hospitals are struggling to discharge patients due to internal staffing shortages and challenges at post-acute facilities.

• Enlitic’s Japan Expansion: Enlitic and Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation entered a license agreement that will allow Clairvo Technologies (a Marubeni subsidiary) to register and commercialize Enlitic’s AI solutions in Japan. The companies have a history together, as Marubeni led Enlitic’s Series B round in 2019, and was involved in Enlitic’s previous Japan distribution efforts before the AI startup pivoted to imaging data standardization.

• CXR Edge Enhancement: A team of Danish researchers found that Advanced Edge Enhancement (AEE) software improves the visualization of tube, catheter, and wire placement in chest X-rays, potentially reducing the need for repeated scans. The researchers processed 50 CXRs with three Canon Medical AEE algorithms (bone, catheter, small structure), recording 16% to 49% visualization improvements.

• Bayer’s AI Expansion: Bayer announced new steps to expand its Calantic Digital Solutions AI platform in the short and long-term. Bayer launched alliances with Quantib, ClariPi, and EXINI Diagnostics, expanding the Calantic platform to prostate and breast AI (in addition to thoracic and neuro AI). Bayer will also support its next generation of AI partners through its new Calantic SPARK accelerator program, providing early-stage startups with guidance and potentially a future pathway to commercialization via the Calantic platform.

• 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 Results: Bracco’s Blue Earth Diagnostics subsidiary announced topline results from its Phase 3 trial, evaluating its 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 investigational PET agent in newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Researchers analyzed data from 296 patients who underwent 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 followed by radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection. The PET imaging agent achieved high specificity (96%), low sensitivity (24%) that’s reportedly consistent within its class of PSMA-targeted radiopharmaceuticals, and no serious adverse events. 

• Blackford Adds Bialogics: Blackford Analysis continued to expand its non-diagnostic AI portfolio, adding Bialogics’ DImax solution to its AI platform. DImax allows providers to extract insights from their imaging data, enabling them to monitor their clinical, operation, and AI performance. DImax’s new AI Performance Reporting feature is perhaps most relevant to this partnership, as it compares providers’ AI output with their diagnostic reports to spot changes in accuracy.

5-Stages to AI Adoption

New healthcare technologies have traditionally been hard to implement, and that’s certainly been true for imaging AI, but some of AI’s challenges might have been avoided with the right standards and guidelines. Check out this Enlitic report outlining its 5-stage approach to less-challenging AI adoption.

Meaningful Innovation in 4D CT

If you’re ready to get more from your interventional suite, tune in to this Imaging Wire Show featuring Canon Medical Systems’ vascular leader, Bill Newsom, exploring the meaningful innovation that went into Canon’s 4D CT technology.

The Resource Wire

• Relive RSNA 2022 with this Imaging Wire Show, featuring Bayer Radiology’s Barbara Ruhland. We reflect on radiology’s major themes and trends since the last RSNA, how they affected this year’s conversations, and how Bayer is supporting imaging teams’ changing needs.

• What if AI could produce echo measurements that are comparable to expert physicians, but with less variability? That’s exactly what this Nature study revealed about Us2.ai’s solution, finding that its measurements had fewer and smaller differences compared to three human experts than when the experts were compared with each other.

• Pandemic delays, conflicting screening guidelines, and a diverse mix of risk factors may put millions of women at risk of late breast cancer diagnoses. That’s why this editorial by Dr. Amy Patel of Liberty Hospital and Morris Panner of Intelerad emphasize the need to adopt the right technology and best practices to ensure providers can address this challenge.

• MRI is a powerful modality, but still inaccessible to many providers and patients. See how Siemens Healthineers’ MAGNETOM Free.Star’s disruptively simple approach is breaking MRI barriers.

• Imaging AI’s clinical and productivity benefits are becoming increasingly clear, but selecting and implementing the right solution can be difficult. This Arterys paper details how an AI platform strategy allows providers to efficiently and accurately evaluate AI applications, so they can start realizing their targeted AI benefits.

• Working out your AI business case? Check out this helpful Blackford Analysis post outlining the three steps to help you justify AI adoption.

• When SyntheticMR validated its SyMRI MSK solution, they leveraged the CARPL platform to compare conventional knee and spine MRI image quality with SyntheticMR images. Check out their validation process and results here.

• Is your organization ready to move enterprise imaging to the cloud? Check out this Change Healthcare and ACHE webinar detailing cloud-native imaging’s benefits, best practices, and ROI.

• Made in Texas. Built for the Modern World. See how United Imaging’s fresh approach, vertically integrated structure, and unique “all-in” strategy is raising the bar in medical imaging.

• We may be on the verge of the next revolution in how cancer is detected, diagnosed, and treated and this editorial by GE Healthcare Imaging leader, Jan Makela, details how GE and its partners are using AI and imaging data to drive this revolution.

• Over 9 out of 10 people who should be screened for lung cancer aren’t, and nearly 50% of lung cancer cases are caught in the advanced stages. We know from prostate and breast cancer screening that clear guidelines and increased screening saves lives. But lung cancer screening has been challenging. Riverain strives to make everything about the lungs clearer, so they assembled this resource page for anyone interested in starting or improving their lung screening program.

• Imaging providers who want to finally #ditchthedisk can now start off with Novarad’s CryptoChart Lite solution, a standard version of CryptoChart built for providers transitioning to imaging sharing.