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Prostate AI, DeepHealth’s Done Deal, and MRI Accident Questions
July 21, 2025
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Together with
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“It amuses me to think rads in 15 years will be looking at us as the golden era. Turns out the golden era is always the era just before your era”
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Radstra, in a post on RadHQ.net on proposed 2026 MPFS reimbursement rates.
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RadNet subsidiary DeepHealth closed its acquisition of mammography AI developer iCAD, a major step in DeepHealth’s vision to build the future of AI-powered population health. In this Imaging Wire Show we talked to company executives Kees Wesdorp and Niccolo Stefani about the acquisition and their strategic roadmap.
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Researchers continue to hone in on the best way to use MRI for patients suspected of having prostate cancer, and AI is helping the effort. A new study in AJR shows that AI can improve the diagnostic accuracy and consistency of prostate MRI – while making it easier to perform.
Multiparametric MRI is the gold standard for prostate cancer imaging, but requires the use of three different MRI sequences as well as contrast administration, making it more complex and time-intensive to perform.
- On the other hand, biparametric MRI uses just two sequences – T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging – and omits the contrast entirely, leading to shorter scan times and lower cost.
But what are you losing with bpMRI – and can AI help you get it back? Researchers addressed this question in the new study in which six radiologists interpreted bpMRI scans of 180 patients from multiple centers.
- Radiologists used a deep learning algorithm developed at the NIH to interpret bpMRI scans acquired on 3T scanners. The open-source algorithm generates binary prostate cancer prediction maps that are overlaid on T2-weighted images.
Researchers found that radiologists using the bpMRI AI algorithm to detect clinically significant prostate cancer had…
- An increase in lesion-level positive predictive value (77% vs. 67%).
- But lower lesion-level sensitivity (44% vs. 48%).
- And no statistically significant difference in patient-level AUC (0.82 vs. 0.83, p = 0.61).
- While inter-reader agreement scores improved for lesion-level and patient-level PI-RADS scores and lesion size measurements.
What to make of the numbers? The authors pointed out that the study design – in which AI was used as a first reader – may have reduced AI’s performance.
- In real clinical practice, AI would most likely be used as a sort of clinical spell checker, with AI results overlaid on images that radiologists had already seen.
The researchers said the results on improved positive predictive value and inter-reader agreement show that AI can improve the diagnostic accuracy and consistency of bpMRI for prostate cancer.
The Takeaway
The new findings echo other research like the PI-CAI study highlighting the growing role of AI in prostate cancer detection. If validated with other studies, they show AI-assisted bpMRI could be ready to take on mpMRI for a broader role.
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The Invisible Edge of Data Migration
AI-enabled data migration has several advantages for healthcare organizations, from efficiency that’s 5-10X faster than traditional methods to success rates as high as 99%. Learn more on this page from Enlitic.
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AI Tools for Lung Cancer Screening
CT lung cancer screening is gaining momentum around the world. Learn about AI-based nodule detection tools that can improve the accuracy of low-dose CT scans in this video from Riverain Technologies.
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- DeepHealth’s Done Deal: DeepHealth bolstered its AI offerings for breast imaging when parent RadNet last week completed its $103M acquisition of iCAD. iCAD was one of the first developers of mammography CAD software, and has been pivoting into the AI age with its ProFound solution, which recently generated positive results for DBT screening. RadNet and iCAD announced the acquisition in April, with the deal not only expanding DeepHealth’s mammography AI product offerings but also giving it access to iCAD’s installed base of 1.5k providers in 50 countries.
- NY MRI Accident Raises Questions: A New York man was critically injured and hospitalized after he was sucked into the bore of an MRI scanner, allegedly due to a metal chain he was wearing. The accident occurred at Nassau Open MRI on Long Island when an unidentified man entered the scanning room without permission while an exam was in progress. But some observers are questioning the story due to the size of the chain that would be required to pull someone into an MRI magnet.
- Heartflow files for IPO: Cardiac AI developer Heartflow last week filed documents for an IPO that sources say should raise $100M for the company. Heartflow is perhaps the most successful AI firm in generating actual revenue for its solutions (as well as raising VC money), and SEC documents show the company’s sales grew 39% for the most recent quarter ($37.2M vs. $26.8M). But the firm’s net loss also expanded ($32.3 vs. $20.9M). Heartflow’s flagship products include FFRCT Analysis and Plaque Analysis.
- Cardiac MRI Detects Dangerous Scar Tissue: Cardiac MRI detected myocardial fibrosis in older male endurance athletes that was linked to irregular heart rhythms. U.K. researchers in the VENTOUX study scanned 106 male cyclists and triathletes over 50 with no symptoms, finding that 47% had signs of scarring in the left ventricle, 3% had sustained, potentially dangerous rapid heart rates, and 19% experienced shorter rapid heartbeats. Similar findings have occurred in patients with heart muscle disease, but discovering the association in athletes was unexpected.
- Gadopiclenol Reduces Gadolinium Dose: Another study shows how gadolinium exposure can be reduced with gadopiclenol, a new high-relaxivity MRI contrast agent, regardless of MRI field strength. Writing in a study in European Journal of Radiology, Swiss researchers compared gadopiclenol to conventional gadolinium-based contrast agents in phantoms scanned at 1.5T, 3T, and 7T field strengths, finding that gadopiclenol’s maximum signal intensity at 1.0 mmol/L was comparable to other GBCAs at 2.5 mmol/L. Gadopiclenol is marketed by Guerbet and Bracco under their own brand names.
- Super-Powerful MRI Scans Brain’s Secrets: NIH researchers have unveiled a 3T dedicated brain scanner for neurological research with super-powerful gradients 5X stronger than state-of-the-art research MRI scanners. The Connectome 2.0 scanner features a three-layer head-only gradient coil with a gradient strength of 500 mT m−1 and a slew rate of 600 T m−1 s−1. Researchers in a new study in Nature Biomedical Engineering said the scanner has a 30% sensitivity improvement over Connectome 1.0 for mapping fine white matter pathways and cellular and axonal size and morphology.
- Patients Suspicious of Doctors Using AI: A new survey has troubling news for clinical AI adoption. Researchers in JAMA Network Open surveyed 1.3k U.S. adults in January 2025 on their attitudes towards doctors who use AI across three clinical AI use cases: diagnostic, administrative, and therapeutic. For diagnostic use, respondents scored physicians using AI as less competent on a five-point scale compared to doctors who didn’t (3.66 vs. 3.85). Patients were also less willing to make appointments with diagnostic AI-using physicians (3.16 vs. 3.61).
- HOPPR Launches First Foundation Model: HOPPR released its first commercially available AI foundation model, the Marie Curie Chest Radiography Foundation Model. Foundation models are touted as being more versatile than traditional AI technology and can be used to develop algorithms for specific tasks. HOPPR is providing the Marie Curie model to partners who can fine-tune it for their own applications using the company’s custom API. DeepHealth is the first commercial partner to adopt the model.
- Lung Screening’s Cost-Effectiveness: There’s more data coming in proving low-dose CT lung cancer screening’s cost-effectiveness, even in today’s era of more expensive immunotherapy treatments. In a new study in Lung Cancer, researchers performed a modeling study finding that across three screening rounds of high-risk people in the Netherlands, LDCT screening would save 35M-52M euros compared to no screening if immunotherapy were restricted to advanced-stage cases, and 24M-39M euros if given to patients at all stages. Shifting diagnoses to earlier stages confers substantial cost savings.
- Bill Would Promote Mobile Lung Screening: Legislation to improve access to CT lung cancer screening by purchasing mobile screening units was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives last week. The Mobile Cancer Screening Act (H.R. 4417) would fund the purchase of mobile screening units to bring scans to people living in rural or underserved areas. The bill would set up grants to pay healthcare organizations for purchasing vehicles, CT scanners, and software.
- In-Room Cameras Improve Patient Positioning: Patient positioning for CT exams was sped up by in-room 3D cameras and deep learning software. In a new study in European Journal of Radiology, Japanese researchers tested the setup’s effectiveness versus manual positioning for 596 patients, finding that it reduced mean room times 13% (223 vs. 255 seconds). But it had no statistically significant impact on median off-center distance, CTDIvol radiation measurements, and background noise. The study confirms other recent research on in-room cameras.
- Coreline to Add AI to Siemens Scanners: Coreline Soft will add its AI imaging algorithms to photon-counting CT and PET scanners from Siemens Healthineers under a new agreement. The companies will jointly develop and test AI models and build a shared clinical platform to be validated in clinical settings. Coreline offers the AVIEW LCS Plus solution for detecting lung nodules, quantifying emphysema, and analyzing coronary artery calcification from low-dose CT scans, while Siemens in 2021 pioneered photon-counting CT with Naeotom Alpha, the first commercially available scanner.
- Rivanna Gets Ultrasound Clearances: Ultrasound developer Rivanna received FDA 510(k) clearance for two new technologies, the Accuro 3S point-of-care ultrasound scanner and the SpineNav-AI image processing software. Accuro 3S has a Dual-Array probe featuring two side-by-side transducers with a narrow gap that enables an in-line needle approach for image guidance during needle or catheter placement. SpineNav-AI improves MSK imaging of the lumbar spine for real-time visualization during anesthesia procedures.
- Doctors Leaving Fee-for-Service Medicare: Many disgruntled doctors dream of leaving the Medicare fee-for-service system behind. But how many actually do it? A new study in JAMA Health Forum tracks doctor departures from 2010 to 2024 for 791k physicians, finding the annual Medicare exit rate doubled (1.8% to 3.6%). The rate increased gradually from 2010-2013, stabilized from 2014-2016, grew slowly 2017-2019, spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2023 returned to levels above the 2019 rate. Exit rates are higher for primary care doctors vs. specialists.
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Unifying All Your Diagnostic Images
The Mach7 eUnity enterprise diagnostic viewer can unify all your images and solve your integration needs under one universal viewing platform. Find out how you can upgrade your enterprise visualization strategy today.
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Discover the Blackford Difference
AI is no longer a futuristic nice-to-have in healthcare, it’s an essential tool. Yet for many providers, the path forward with AI remains unclear. That’s where Blackford comes in – discover the difference today.
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AI Acceleration without the Hype
The Visage AI Accelerator program is an innovation magnet – an end-to-end AI solution that bridges research and diagnostic imaging on the same, unified platform. Learn how Visage 7 provides synergistic, smart workflows and flawless third-party AI integration.
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- A New Solution for Chest AI: Gleamer’s ChestView AI solution is a computer-aided detection (CADe) model cleared by the FDA for simultaneously detecting multiple findings on chest X-ray. Discover how it enhances explainability and confidence compared to traditional triage-focused CADt solutions.
- Synoptic Reporting of Liver Masses: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound exams for focal liver lesions can be challenging to report in at-risk patients. Learn how Kailo Medical’s synoptic reporting solutions can make reporting easier while improving LI-RADS categorization.
- Reach New Heights with Enterprise Imaging Cloud: Embrace the potential of AGFA HealthCare’s Enterprise Imaging Cloud, a fully managed Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that will transform the handling, storage, and accessibility of medical imaging data. Learn how EI Cloud can help you today.
- AI-Empowered CT Workflow: CT systems from United Imaging are designed for high image quality and low dose, and their AI-empowered workflow enables fast and reproducible positioning, helping you image patients with confidence. Learn more on this page.
- Unlock Next-Generation AI with Foundation Models: Learn about Microsoft’s new family of cutting-edge multimodal medical imaging foundation models designed for healthcare organizations to test, fine-tune, and build tailored AI solutions specific to their needs, while minimizing extensive compute and data requirements.
- Unprecedented Insights Made Possible with AI: With the largest normative dataset of whole-body imaging in the world, Prenuvo’s AI researchers partner with the best academic minds to understand – like never before – what “normal” aging means. Learn about their work today.
- What’s Next for AI for Cancer Detection? AI is transforming the fight against cancer by enabling faster and more accurate cancer detection. Read this article from DeepHealth to learn how the company is pioneering new ways to advance cancer screening and broader imaging-based care.
- Going Global with Enterprise Imaging: Merge is going global by bringing its enterprise imaging solutions to new regions, marketplaces, and customers. Learn more about its recent initiatives in Puerto Rico, the U.K., Latin America, and Canada.
- AI-Assisted Early Heart Failure Detection: The Heart2Miss screening program in Malaysia drew attention at Heart Failure 2025 for its innovative approach to early heart failure detection. Discover how they screened 1k high-risk diabetic patients with handheld ultrasound and AI-assisted analysis from Us2.ai.
- A New Benchmark for Tomo Imaging: There’s a new benchmark for digital breast tomosynthesis 3D images with MAMMOMAT B.brilliant from Siemens Healthineers. The system’s 50° wide-angle tomosynthesis helps you achieve excellent outcomes for your patients, radiologists, and breast care professionals.
- Rapid AI Deployment in Emergency Care: University Hospitals used CARPL to deploy AZmed’s fracture detection tool directly in the emergency department, reducing interpretation time by 30% without disrupting workflows. Learn how UH accelerated AI deployment.
- A Bold Transformation in Client Experience: Intelerad is transforming how it supports and partners with clients through a company-wide Client Obsession initiative. The company is making investments in new tools, technologies, and staff to remove friction and deliver value – find out how it works on this page.
- CT Tubes for Life: Never buy another X-ray tube for the life of your CT scanner with the Philips CT 5300. Powered by the advanced vMRC tube, software-driven innovation, and the industry’s first detector designed for AI. Built for lasting performance and peace of mind. Terms and conditions apply.
- AI for Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Screening: Check out this comprehensive new eBook from Calantic by Bayer on the role of AI in lung cancer diagnosis and screening. It explores AI’s potential role in improving lung cancer screening strategies, identifying high-risk individuals, and enhancing diagnostic accuracy. Download it today.
- Can Whole-Body MRI Revolutionize Medical Imaging? In this episode of The Radiology Report, Medality CEO Daniel Arnold sits down with Daniel Durand, MD, of Prenuvo to explore how whole-body MRI is reshaping the future of preventive care.
- MRI Access and the Cost of Inpatient Stays: Longer inpatient stays due to delayed MRI access are a long-standing and costly issue for hospital systems. Find out how STAGE from SpinTech MRI can reduce your MRI backlog and inpatient stays by shortening brain scan times by 30%.
- New-generation Platform for Managing Multi-Omics Data: QP-Insights from Quibim is a new-generation advanced platform for the management, storage, and analysis of large-scale multi-omics data and medical images for clinical studies and research projects. Learn more on this page.
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