Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a crucial component of healthcare to help augment physicians and make them more efficient. In medical imaging, it is helping radiologists more efficiently manage PACS worklists, enable structured reporting, auto detect injuries and diseases, and to pull in relevant prior exams and patient data. In cardiology, AI is helping automate tasks and measurements on imaging and in reporting systems, guides novice echo users to improve imaging and accuracy, and can risk stratify patients. AI includes deep learning algorithms, machine learning, computer-aided detection (CAD) systems, and convolutional neural networks. 

Left, coronary CT angiography of a vessel showing plaque heavy calcium burden. Right, image showing color code of various types of plaque morphology showing the complexity of these lesions. The right image was processed using the FDA cleared, AI-enabled plaque assessment from Elucid.

Cardiac CT soft plaque assessment may offer paradigm shift for coronary disease screening

New artificial intelligence software that can evaluate coronary CT scans to automatically assess soft plaques were by far the biggest technology advance discussed at the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) 2022 meeting. 

5 reasons radiologists should feel confident about learning—and teaching—AI

For years radiology educators have been reassuring prospects, recruits and trainees that artificial intelligence can only—and will only—assist or augment radiologists. And still a nervous concern continues to come up. 

True or false? ‘AI does not influence radiologists’ performance’

A healthcare AI startup in Silicon Valley is partnering with a top-tier medical school—and hopefully a few good radiologists—to test a hypothesis that’s increasingly crucial to radiology.

A narrow miss for AI trained to find pacemakers on X-rays for MRI safety

A convolutional neural network has achieved 99.67% accuracy at flagging the presence of pacemakers on chest radiographs in patients referred for MRI.

CE mark granted for AI-based MSK interpretation aid

A Danish healthtech company has been cleared for European sales of AI software aimed at helping trauma physicians detect and classify fractures.

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Radiologists develop AI to flag artifacts on CT pulmonary angiography

The capability could allow immediate alerting of CT technologists, who would adjust scan protocols or re-scan patients to optimize image quality prior to physician interpretation.

Work no less burdensome for 70% of 276 radiologists using AI

Radiologists across Europe have been finding AI algorithms useful for improving efficiency at some tasks—yet, overall, few have received AI-attributable workload relief.

‘Vast and diverse’ repository of image data goes open-access for healthcare AI researchers

A small medtech outfit in North Carolina is opening its trove of medical imaging datasets to academic researchers working to develop AI applications for healthcare.

Around the web

The patient, who was being cared for in the ICU, was not accompanied or monitored by nursing staff during his exam, despite being sedated.

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.