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Opportunistic CAC Screening, Mammo Uptake, and AAA in Women
November 13, 2025
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Together with
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“RSNA used to be where innovation was unveiled, now it’s where balance sheets get tested. The companies that can translate clinical promise into purchasing logic will own the headlines, and the next buying cycle.”
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Jay Gurney of healthcare recruiting firm Projectus.
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The Imaging Wire is launching a new Deep Dive series to profile the players that are revolutionizing radiology. Our debut issue focused on Sirona Medical, which is taking a unified approach to imaging IT by combining viewer, reporting, and worklist applications to reduce radiologist burnout and improve radiology practice efficiency and profitability. Learn more about the company today.
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Opportunistic screening took a big step forward this week with new research in Nature Scientific Reports showing how an AI algorithm from Riverain Technologies was able to calculate coronary artery calcium scores from non-contrast CT scans – with performance close to that of radiologists.
Opportunistic screening gives radiologists the chance to detect clinical conditions other than those for which the original scan was ordered.
- Potential use cases include calculating cardiovascular risk from mammograms or undiagnosed osteoporosis from CT exams.
One of the opportunistic applications with the most potential is CAC scoring from CT scans.
- CAC scores are a good marker for future cardiovascular risk. But it can be time-consuming to perform separate cardiac CT scans just to acquire CAC data when thousands of abdominal and thoracic CT studies are conducted every day and could serve just as well.
Riverain’s ClearRead CT CAC algorithm uses AI to analyze non-contrast CT exams and produce Agatston scores, the reference standard for CAC analysis.
- Previous research found Agatston scores to be predictive for both cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, but generating the scores requires some manual involvement from clinicians.
In the new study, Mass General Brigham researchers compared ClearRead CT CAC’s performance to ground-truth calculations from radiologists in 491 patients who got non-contrast CT scans at five U.S. hospitals in 2022 and 2023. Researchers found…
- CAC score agreement between AI and radiologists was high, with a kappa of 0.959 (1.0 is perfect agreement).
- The association remained strong regardless of sex, age, race, ethnicity, and CT scanner model, with kappa higher than 0.90 for all groups except “other race.”
- The AI model’s CAC scores from non-gated CT scans were similar to those from gated cardiac CT exams (kappa = 0.906), which are generally considered the gold standard for cardiac CT but are more complex to perform.
- The model’s kappa for gated CT exams compared favorably to recent research conducted with other commercially available algorithms.
The results are a boost for opportunistic screening but in particular for Riverain, which got FDA clearance for ClearRead CT CAC in December 2024 and offers the solution as part of its ClearRead CT suite.
The Takeaway
The new results show that opportunistic screening is moving beyond the research phase and that the opportunity could be now for real-world clinical use.
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Connect Every Pixel to the Patient Story
Mach7 Technologies is soaring above silos at RSNA 2025 with an imaging architecture that unifies your data, takes your EMR to new heights, and transforms images into insights. See how with a demo at booth #3351.
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Interpretation Efficiency in Radiology – A Critical Strategy
Healthcare institutions are at a critical stage, where an emphasis on interpretation efficiency needs to be a priority. Download this white paper from Visage Imaging and Signify Research on strategies to optimize your interpretation efficiency.
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Experience the Future of Radiology
Visit Enlitic at RSNA 2025 booth #7730 to experience the future of radiology and see how the company is revolutionizing radiology data migration with its Laitek acquisition. Schedule a meeting today.
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- CT-Based Opportunistic Osteoporosis Screening: Opportunistic screening for osteoporosis can be performed from abdominal CT scans using an AI algorithm developed by NYU Langone Health and Visage Imaging. In a new paper in Radiology, researchers tested the algorithm on CT exams from 283.5k patients scanned on 43 different scanner models. Radiologists in over 99% of cases agreed with the algorithm’s placement of a 3D ROI to quantify trabecular attenuation as a measure of osteoporosis. The study also established normative values for spine trabecular attenuation on CT.
- Boosting Mammography Uptake: Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution. Researchers from Singapore found that reminders sent via regular mail worked as well as more sophisticated tools in getting women overdue for mammography to attend exams. In a paper in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers tried five different reminder strategies for 9k women aged 50 to 69, ranging from mailed reminders to reminders plus cash prizes. There was no statistically significant difference between the strategies (10.8% to 13.8%), and uptake of digital interventions like web pages was low.
- Merge Connects with Us2.ai: Merge will be integrating Us2.ai’s AI solutions for echocardiography into its Merge Cardio platform under a new agreement between the companies. Merge Cardio users will be able to detect a wide range of echo parameters and perform expanded cardiac measurements, with Us2.ai’s color-coded icons easily identifying disease origins. The partnership will also give users new opportunities for better clinical outcomes and additional reimbursement opportunities.
- RADPAIR Launches SDK for Agentic AI: Seeking to speed up the adoption of agentic AI, RADPAIR this week launched PAIRsdk, a new software development kit that creates a development framework for agentic AI for radiology reporting. Agentic AI applications can autonomously plan and execute complex tasks, and PAIRsdk is a unified framework that enables apps from different companies to work together seamlessly. RADPAIR assembled a coalition of vendors to support the initiative, including Fovia AI, Interlinx Systems, deepc, and Radiopaedia.
- PocketHealth Debuts Agentic AI: Another new agentic AI offering comes from PocketHealth. The company debuted Conductor, which is focused on performing clerical tasks for clinicians like reading documents, calling patients, and completing other non-clinical assignments. PocketHealth claims Conductor can reduce clerical labor costs by 50% and patient no-shows by 34% based on results from a large regional healthcare provider.
- Should Women Be Screened for AAA? Most screening guidelines for abdominal aortic aneurysm focus on at-risk men, but should women be screened as well? Researchers examined this question in an AHA 2025 study that looked at 60.7k Medicare patients who had AAA surgical repair. Female patients who got ultrasound screening in the six months before surgery had lower adjusted odds ratio of death or major complication (aOR = 0.94), showing that screening led to improved postoperative outcomes for women.
- Incidentally Detected Aneurysms: In another study from AHA 2025, researchers discovered that in a population of 5k U.S. military veterans who got CT lung cancer screening, 9.6% had incidentally detected large ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (≥ 4 cm), but only 24% had ICD codes in their patient records related to TAAs. Patients with TAAs also lacked evidence of follow-up or referral to specialists, a concern given the catastrophic consequences of rupture.
- Cardiac Imaging AI News from AHA 2025: Two of the leaders in cardiac AI software – Cleerly and Heartflow – touted studies from AHA 2025. Cleerly highlighted the latest results from the CONFIRM2 study showing that its AI-guided atherosclerosis quantification improved cardiovascular risk prediction. Meanwhile, Heartflow underscored results from the FISH&CHIPS study confirming that plaque volume measurement predicted long-term cardiovascular events.
- Is Plaque AI Reimbursement Too High? Medicare in 2026 will start paying for AI-based analysis of CT scans for coronary plaque, a marker of cardiovascular disease. But are reimbursement rates set too high? That’s the upshot of a new STAT article questioning whether a Medicare payment rate over $1k for AI coronary plaque analysis is too high. AI developers Heartflow, Cleerly, and Elucid will benefit from the new payment rates, but some physicians worry costs could balloon out of control.
- RP Taps Kottler as CMAIO at Mosaic: Radiology Partners tapped Nina Kottler, MD, as chief medical AI officer of its recently launched Mosaic Clinical Technologies division. Kottler has been with RP since 2021 and most recently was associate chief medical officer of clinical AI. RP launched Mosaic in July as a new subsidiary responsible for the rollout of AI across its national network of radiology practices.
- Siemens Extends NYU Langone Alliance: Siemens Healthineers and NYU Langone Health have extended their long-term alliance for another five years in a contract that includes a multi-vendor service agreement with an estimated value of $100M. The equipment procurement portion of the alliance covers MRI, CT, molecular imaging, X-ray, ultrasound, angiography, and C-arms. The two parties have been collaborating for the past 20 years.
- Siemens AG to Shed Healthineers Stake: In other Siemens news, German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG announced plans to transfer to shareholders 30% of its stake in Siemens Healthineers, which was created when Siemens AG spun off its medical systems division into an independent company in 2017. Siemens AG owns a 67% stake in Healthineers, but has been under shareholder pressure to reduce its holdings. The selloff will potentially give Siemens Healthineers more independence.
- Canon Vet Misra Joins QT Imaging: Breast imaging developer QT Imaging hired veteran imaging executive Satrajit Misra as chief commercial officer. Misra most recently led sales and marketing activities at Canon Medical Systems USA, and has also held executive positions at Philips and Siemens. Canon is QTI’s strategic partner for U.S. sales of the company’s acoustic breast imaging technology. QTI also posted Q3 financial results this week that saw it quadruple revenue ($4.2M vs. $956k).
- DeepHealth Acquires U.K. Software Firm: DeepHealth continues to build its portfolio through acquisition. DeepHealth’s parent company RadNet acquired CIMAR, a U.K.-based developer of cloud-native image management software. CIMAR’s image management infrastructure provides centralized data management and interoperability and supports more than 50% of NHS trusts and 80% of U.K. private hospitals, including NHS England’s lung cancer screening program. AI applications such as those from DeepHealth run on CIMAR’s infrastructure.
- GE and DeepHealth Extend Alliance: In other DeepHealth news, the company extended the alliance with GE HealthCare first announced last year. That agreement covered U.S. integration of DeepHealth breast imaging AI with GE’s Senographe Pristina mammography systems, and the collaboration will be expanded to include worldwide distribution. GE and DeepHealth will also collaborate in AI for thyroid ultrasound, and will integrate DeepHealth’s TechLive remote scanning solution with GE’s ultrasound scanner portfolio.
- Coreline Picked for French Lung Screening Pilot: Coreline Soft was named the exclusive AI supplier for IMPULSION, a new pilot study to test CT lung cancer screening in France prior to a nationwide launch. The €6M project will launch lung screening at 100 centers in the country, with Coreline setting up an AI infrastructure using local cloud networks as well as providing training programs on screening and lung nodule management. The company will also supply its AVIEW thoracic AI platform.
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Transforming Chest Imaging at RSNA 2025
Learn how solutions from Riverain Technologies like their ClearRead AI technology are transforming chest imaging. Visit them at booth #4711 or schedule your meeting today.
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What Would You Do with an Extra Hour?
Rad AI Impressions automatically generates your report impressions in your own voice, from your dictated findings. Radiology teams already use Rad AI to give radiologists their time back. See what you could do with yours. Book your RSNA meeting today.
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- A New Standard of AI-Powered Care: Visit DeepHealth at RSNA 2025 booth #1329 to learn how their integrated, cloud-native solutions can unify your imaging experience. Book a meeting today.
- 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.
- Abdominal Ultrasound Worksheets and Reports in 45 Seconds: Visit Kailo Medical at booth #4555 at RSNA 2025 to discover augmented reporting that produces worksheets and reports in 45 seconds, improving accuracy, boosting efficiency, and delivering better outcomes for patients and providers alike.
- Meet Merge at RSNA 2025: From first click to final read, Merge accelerates your workflows with imaging solutions designed by people who think like you. Book a meeting at RSNA 2025 booth #6100 to get your own live demonstration.
- Reimagine Imaging Innovation: Experience a new era of diagnostic imaging in the AGFA booth #2565 at RSNA 2025 in which every click, case, and connection is designed around how you work. Request an on-site demo today.
- Reshaping the Future of Medical Imaging: Get ready for an unforgettable experience at RSNA 2025, where United Imaging will unveil major innovations that can reshape the future of medical imaging. Visit them at booth #1929 to see their comprehensive multimodality portfolio.
- Book a Demo with CARPL at RSNA 2025: CARPL helps healthcare providers realize the value of the entire AI ecosystem and drive financial, operational, and clinical ROI. Book a demo today or visit them at RSNA 2025 booth #5732.
- Transform Imaging Data into Actionable Predictions: When you choose Quibim, you get more than a partner for detecting and diagnosing prostate cancer on MRI scans. Learn how they can help you transform imaging data into actionable predictions by booking a demo today.
- Echo AI for Cardiac Amyloidosis: AI is reshaping the way cardiac amyloidosis is detected. A notable example is Us2.ai’s pattern recognition model, which can identify the disease from a single apical four‑chamber echo view.
- Intelligent Imaging Ensures Efficient Workflow: Learn how intelligent imaging can help address challenges in radiography workflow – such as higher workloads and fewer staff – in this downloadable white paper from Siemens Healthineers.
- It’s Time to Make AI Adoption Simple: Visit Gleamer at RSNA 2025 booth #4936 to experience a milestone moment that will reshape AI’s role in medical imaging. Expect more than a sneak peak: Expect the future.
- Every Image Tells a Story at RSNA 2025: Visit Intelerad at RSNA 2025 booth #6113 to learn how their solutions are empowering radiologists and patients while transforming radiology workflows. Schedule a meeting today.
- Building the Future of Radiology: Visit Medality at RSNA 2025 booth #1140 to learn how they are at the forefront of radiology practice growth and training as the simulated learning platform that everyone loves. Book a demo today.
- Radiology Case Report: A man in his 40s presented with a known metastasis within his abdomen. Learn how contrast-enhanced MRI helped to diagnose the extent of his disease.
- Discover What’s Next in Radiology at RSNA 2025: Join Philips at RSNA 2025 in booth #6730 to see revolutionary new innovations in MRI, CT, and informatics. Don’t miss your chance to witness breakthroughs that will redefine what’s possible at 10:30 am on Sunday November 30.
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