So, it's really no surprise that this technology is starting to be implemented more in the medical field, and a new AI program is set to revolutionize the way we can detect future illnesses.
Scientists at Edith Cowan University in Australia have developed AI software that can swiftly assess bone density scans, enabling it to forecast the likelihood of future health issues such as cardiovascular diseases and dementia.
From Study Finds:
Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is a buildup within the abdominal aorta’s walls that can indicate an individual’s risk of heart attacks, strokes, falls, fractures, and late-life dementia. Although the detection of AAC is possible through bone density scans – usually utilized to determine osteoporosis – these scans historically required highly trained experts and considerable time to analyze.
However, the new software designed by the collaborative teams from ECU’s School of Science and School of Medical and Health Sciences can analyze roughly 60,000 images in just a day.
“Since these images and automated scores can be rapidly and easily acquired at the time of bone density testing, this may lead to new approaches in the future for early cardiovascular disease detection and disease monitoring during routine clinical practice,” says Joshua Lewis, an associate professor and a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow, in a university release.
The study emerged from an international partnership, including institutions such as the University of Western Australia, the University of Minnesota, the University of Manitoba, and Harvard Medical School. While it’s not the first of its kind, this study stands out because of its scale, utilization of popular bone density machine models, and its real-world application. Over 5,000 images were assessed by both human experts and the software. The findings revealed that both methods concurred on the extent of AAC 80 percent of the time, a commendable achievement for the software’s inaugural version.
This is absolutely incredible.
Can you imagine the opportunity for early treatment this is going to create for millions of people? This is potentially life-changing.
