FDA clears artificial intelligence package to help radiologists speed up stroke diagnosis
Imaging company Aidoc recently scored Food and Drug Administration clearance for a new artificial intelligence tool that helps clinicians flag findings in head CT angiography scans.
This is the fourth such approval for the Tel Aviv, Israel-based firm, which now offers a full package of AI tools to allow for quicker diagnosis of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Every minute is crucial for providers in these cases to stop worsening damage to the brain, Aidoc noted in a Jan. 13 announcement.
“Stroke is the ultimate time-critical condition. The faster we can identify, diagnose and treat it, the better the outcome for patients,” said Marcel Maya, MD, co-chair, Department of Imaging, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which uses the AI tool.
Aidoc’s latest module helps radiologists pinpoint and prioritize large-vessel ocular occlusion in CT, and clinicians can combine it with the previously cleared intracranial hemorrhage AI assistant, officials noted. When a patient suffers a stroke, about 1.9 million neurons and 14 billion synapses die each minute. Administering a thrombolytic agent can halt this damage, but radiologists must first rule out hemorrhaging before greenlighting such treatment.
The AI solution continuously scans images for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and then automatically moves any suspected cases to the top of radiologists’ work lists. It also helps with care coordination between diagnosing facilities and stroke centers, officials noted.
Aidoc has grown rapidly in recent years, fueled in part by $27 million in investments. Its AI radiology solutions are now deployed in more than 300 medical centers across five continents, analyzing 3.2 million-plus scans.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.