Dr. Glaucomflecken, commenting on recent developments in retail MRI.

There are few areas of healthcare with more innovation than artificial intelligence, but most of those solutions never make it past being published in a medical journal — providing no additional value to medical care or the solutions’ developers. In the latest Cardiac Wire Show, Bunkerhill Health CEO Nishith Khandwala discusses Bunkerhill’s unique approach to solving this problem and the impact they are having in cardiology, radiology, and beyond.

Imaging Wire Sponsors

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Breast Imaging

US Tomo for Dense Breasts

What’s the best way to provide supplemental imaging when screening women with dense breasts? A new study this week in Radiology offers support for a newer method, whole-breast ultrasound tomography. 

It’s well-known by now that dense breast tissue presents challenges to traditional X-ray-based mammography.

• In fact, mammography screening’s mortality reduction is far lower in women with dense breasts compared to nondense breasts (13% vs. 41%). 

A variety of alternative technologies have been developed to provide supplemental imaging for women with dense breasts, from handheld ultrasound to breast MRI to molecular breast imaging. 

• One supplemental technology is whole-breast tomography, developed by Delphinus Medical Technologies; the firm’s SoftVue 3D system was approved by the FDA in 2021 as an adjunct to full-field digital mammography for screening women with dense breast tissue. 

With SoftVue, women lie prone on a table with the breast stabilized in a water-filled chamber that provides coupling of sound energy between the breast and a ring transducer that scans the entire breast in 2-4 minutes.

• Unlike handheld ultrasound, the scanner provides volumetric coronal images that provide a better view of the fat-glandular interface, where many cancers are located.

SoftVue’s performance was analyzed by researchers from USC and the University of Chicago in a retrospective study funded by Delphinus. 

• They performed SoftVue scans along with digital mammography on 140 women with dense breast tissue from 2017 to 2019; 36 of the women were eventually diagnosed with cancer. 

In all, 32 readers interpreted the scans, comparing the performance of FFDM with ultrasound tomography to FFDM alone, finding … 

• Better performance with FFDM + ultrasound tomography (AUC=0.60 vs. 0.54)
• An increase in sensitivity in women with mammograms graded as BI-RADS 4 (suspicious), (37% vs. 30%) 
• No statistically significant difference in sensitivity in BI-RADS 3 cases (probably benign), (40% vs. 33%, p=0.08)
• A mean of 3.3 more true-positive and 0.9 false-negative findings per reader with ultrasound tomography, a net gain of 2.4

The Takeaway

The findings indicate that ultrasound tomography could become a new supplementary tool for imaging women with dense breasts. They are also a shot in the arm for Delphinus, which as a smaller vendor has the challenge of competing with large multinational OEMs that also offer technologies for supplemental breast screening. 

AMRIC’s Multimodality Approach to Medical Imaging

AMRIC is a new premium imaging clinic on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Learn about their multimodality approach to medical imaging and why they turned to United Imaging for cutting-edge CT, MRI, and molecular imaging technology.

A Holistic Strategy For Enterprise AI

Finding, vetting, and deploying the right radiology AI solutions can be challenging. In this SIIM 2024 session on June 27 presented by Microsoft + Nuance, learn how industry leaders are laying the foundation for AI while solving today’s real-world workflow challenges.

The Wire

• Mobile MRI Fuels Brain Scanning: A Japanese gas retailer has launched a brain scanning service for customers via a mobile MRI coach parked at one of its service stations. The service is a joint project between petroleum retailer Idemitsu Kosan and medical startup Smart Scan, and offers brain scans for the equivalent of $170, with scans read by health professionals and results delivered via smartphone. Idemitsu Kosan is looking to diversify its offerings with a “smart general store concept” as demand for gasoline falls in Japan.  

• Ezra Lands AMRIC: Meanwhile back in the US, full-body MRI screening provider Ezra landed a partnership with AMRIC Health of New York City to provide services in the NYC metropolitan area. AMRIC will use Ezra MRI and AI technology to provide 30-minute proactive screening scans to clients; Ezra says AMRIC will be its most advanced facility yet, with 3T MRI scanners with 75cm bore openings. Ezra most recently signed a deal with Rayus Radiology, and the company raised $21M earlier this year. 

• Prenuvo’s Preventive Discount: Perhaps not to be outdone, whole-body MRI screening firm Prenuvo signed a deal with life insurance provider John Hancock that gives members a $500 discount on its whole-body scans. The discount will be offered to members of John Hancock Vitality, a rewards program that can be added to John Hancock life insurance policies to motivate beneficiaries to live healthier lifestyles such as by undergoing early cancer screenings. John Hancock said it is the first life insurance provider to offer customer discounts to Prenuvo scans.

• Questions about Full-Body Screening: Meanwhile, a new opinion article on Public Health Watch takes a critical look at full-body scans, specifically name-checking Ezra and Prenuvo. Family medicine physician Lisa Doggett, MD, of the University of Texas questions whether the scans truly represent preventive medicine, and notes that no major medical organization recommends full-body scans for healthy people. She believes that enthusiasm should be directed to evidence-based methods that are already proven to detect and prevent disease, like breast and cervical cancer screening.

• Aussie Lung Screening: One evidence-based test that has been proven to work is CT lung cancer screening, and the Australian federal government is moving ahead with country-wide lung screening by July 2025 – the first new cancer screening program in the country in 20 years. The government this month published details on the program, which will offer free low-dose CT scans every two years to people aged 50-70 who have histories of smoking and no symptoms. Australia is one of several countries ramping up national screening programs. 

• AI Directs bpMRI Workup: Biparametric MRI is a faster, more economical way to work up suspected prostate cancer patients as unlike multiparametric MRI it doesn’t require gadolinium contrast. But which patients should get bpMRI? In a new paper in European Journal of Radiology, researchers used AI-based image quality analysis to select appropriate bpMRI cases, finding it classified 87% of 52 cases, leaving only 13% as requiring radiologist review. AI correctly recommended mpMRI in four of five cases (80%), and no case was recommended for contrast that did not need it.  

• Healthcare’s Automation Conundrum: Philips’ latest Future Health Index report underscores a serious conundrum around healthcare automation: 92% of healthcare leaders see automation as a necessary tool for addressing staff shortages, but 65% say their staff is skeptical about automation, a number that rises to 77% among radiology leaders. Quality assurance is a concern, while many fear staff could lose skills and knowledge by relying on automation too much, making training and education key to ensuring staff continue to develop their expertise. Automation should support rather than replace professional judgment. 

• Philips Gets Motorized C-Arm Clearance: In other Philips news, the company received 510(k) clearance for Zenition 90 Motorized, a new version of its mobile C-arm platform. The new version supports interventional vascular procedures but also cardiac interventions as well as pain management and urology procedures. It includes features first launched on Philips’ Azurion angiography system, including tableside controls and automated workflow with features like automatic vascular outlining. The system joins Zenition 30 among recent additions to the Philips C-arm family. 

• Reducing MRI Sedation Delays: Researchers from Singapore were able to reduce delays related to MRI sedation by over one-third through a quality improvement program they described in a paper in JACR. Steps included developing a standardized workflow for sedation, pre-admission patient counseling, and ensuring that sedation patients arrived early for their scans. In tests on 627 MRI exams, the program reduced the number of scans delayed more than 15 minutes (72% to 37%) as well as those delayed 60 or more minutes (28% to 11%). 

• Echo AI for Heart Failure by Novices: The combination of echo AI software from Us2.ai and EchoNous’ handheld ultrasound scanner enabled novice healthcare professionals to perform point-of-care heart failure screening, with good results. In a paper in Nature Scientific Reports (and originally presented at ACC 2023) researchers in the PANES-HF trial found that novices with no echo AI experience who scanned 96 symptomatic patients had good performance (AUC=0.88), sensitivity (85%), specificity (91%), and positive (79%) and negative (94%) predictive value. 

• Qure Collab with Strategic Radiology: Qure.ai has signed a collaboration with Strategic Radiology to make its AI tools available to the 1.7k members of Strategic’s coalition of independent radiology groups. Strategic Radiology members will use Qure AI tools like its recently cleared qXR-LN algorithm for analyzing lung nodules on chest X-ray studies; algorithms for triage of emergency head CT scans and streamlined chest X-ray reporting will also be available. 

• deepc Partners with Nexus / Chili: AI platform company deepc has signed an agreement with Nexus / Chili to make deepc’s AI solutions available to users of Nexus / Chili RIS, PACS, and teleradiology software in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The companies have been working together since 2022, and the new deal will give radiologists in the three countries easier access to AI tools through their PACS.

• Insightec Hauls In $150M Round: MRI-guided focused ultrasound developer Insightec completed yet another massive funding round, this time raising $150M from existing and new investors. The company said it will use the funds to continue the global rollout of its technology and expansion of its installed base, which currently stands at 160 systems worldwide. Insightec earlier this year introduced Exablate Prime, an enhancement of its Exablate Neuro platform for treating movement disorders like essential tremor; it received FDA clearance for Exablate Prostate in 2021. 

Presenting Unboxing AI

Check out CARPL’s brand-new video series, Unboxing AI, featuring experts discussing AI and its future in radiology. The next episode on June 21 features Cyril Di Grandi of Avicenna.ai – reserve your seat today.

Reimagine What’s Next with Intelerad

Every journey in healthcare is about seeking and providing answers. Intelerad is sharing a refined brand identity that encapsulates its commitment to simplifying the search for answers for both clinicians and patients. Learn more about what’s next today.

Your Single Solution for AI, 3D, and Full Interoperability

Realize immediate value across your organization with subscription-based advanced visualization and AI from TeraRecon that accelerates imaging workflows and improves patient outcomes. Schedule a demo today.

The Resource Wire

• Generative AI’s Transformative Impact on Radiology:  Register today for a SIIM #AskIndustry Panel Discussion at 11 am ET on June 28 to hear from Sham Sokka, CTO and COO of DeepHealth, alongside key industry leaders on how the next wave of AI innovation will revolutionize diagnostic accuracy, radiologist efficiency, and patient outcomes.

• How AI Can Liberate Radiologists: Attend this talk at SIIM 2024 at 1 pm on June 27 by Allen Hundley of Riverain Technologies to learn how AI can liberate radiologists from repetitive and monotonous elements of their workflow. 

• Transforming Healthcare with Advanced AI: Visit Enlitic at booth #524 at SIIM 2024 to discover how the company’s advanced AI solutions are helping healthcare institutions standardize their data. See you there!

• Streamline Your Image Exchange Workflows: Visit PocketHealth at SIIM to learn how their enterprise image exchange solution can drive patient engagement and efficiency. Book a demo ahead of time!

• Enhancing CSF Leak Diagnosis with Photon-Counting CT: Register today to join a June 21 webinar hosted by Siemens Healthineers on enhancing CSF leak diagnosis with photon-counting CT. A panel of key opinion leaders will discuss the use of photon-counting CT in diagnosing CSF leaks, including case studies and practical applications.

• Two Questions about AI for Radiology Leaders: Are today’s radiology AI solutions solving the right problems? And are there other solutions available for AI of brain MRI? Read this article from SpinTech MRI to learn how its STAGE solution can optimize MRI utilization. 

• The Benefits of Breast Imaging AI: Breast imaging AI can help providers reduce their workload and improve patient care. Blackford Analysis offers a wide selection of breast imaging AI apps on its Blackford Platform – find out how they could benefit your organization. 

• Automated Weight-Bearing Foot Measurements: Learn how Gleamer’s BoneMetrics AI solution was able to provide automated measurements on weight-bearing radiographs with high levels of accuracy in a paper published in Skeletal Radiology. 

• Advances in Fully Automated Echocardiography: Echocardiography is a pillar of cardiac imaging, but it is operator-dependent and time-consuming to perform. Learn how new echo AI-based software from Us2.ai can automate image acquisition and calculate dozens of measurements that previously had to be performed manually.

• Imaging Workflows that Actually Work: Not a fan of medical image exchange on discs? Then check out Clearpath and find out how it’s removing obstacles to better radiology workflow. Request a demo today. 

• Visage Brings Relief: Hear Dr. Ron Shnier describe how the ultrafast speed in Visage Imaging’s Visage 7 brings him closer to referring physicians – even while reading remotely. Sign up for a priority demo at SIIM 2024 to learn more. 

• A New Approach to Training and Practice Development: Medality’s unique approach to training and practice development stems from their mission to transform the way radiologists learn and thrive. Learn more about their solutions for increasing your group’s volume and expanding your coverage. 

• Collaborative Care in the Age of Innovation: Unlock the future of collaborative care with AGFA HealthCare’s pioneering Enterprise Imaging solution. Request a demo today to learn more at SIIM 2024, or visit them at booth #613.

• Ignite Your Imaging AI Strategy: Take your imaging AI strategy to the next level at SIIM 2024 by attending insightful sessions on AI adoption and deployment from Calantic by Bayer, including planning an AI orchestration platform and the benefits of integrating AI in radiology departments. Reserve your spot today.

• Meet Merge at SIIM 2024: Whether you’re a physician, IT administrator, or imaging business leader, meet with Merge by Merative at SIIM 2024 to find out how you can benefit from Merge imaging solutions, and sign up now for a June 28 talk on a modular approach to innovation.