FDA greenlights software that supports blood-flow analysis via MRI without contrast
The U.S. FDA has approved a new software solution that allows radiologists and cardiovascular surgeons to assess blood flow via MRI, its developer announced Monday.
Created by Tokyo-based Cardio Flow Design, iTFlow enables the visualization of fluid dynamics in the heart and blood vessels in both 2D and 3D, without the help of contrast agents. It also can calculate various other measurements, including flow rate, velocity, pathline and streamline.
“We developed this software with the aim of enabling all physicians, regardless of their level of experience, to propose the most appropriate treatment for patients even with complicated anatomy and cardiac function by quantitatively evaluating blood flow,” Keiichi Itatani, MD, Ph.D., a cardiovascular surgeon and the inventor of iTFlow, said in a June 19 announcement.
The technology utilizes advanced algorithms and MR image analysis techniques to aid physicians in diagnosis and treatment planning.
Itatani and company CEO Teruyasu Nishino, MD, first founded Cardio Flow Design in 2015
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.