Tuberculosis is a major worldwide health problem. A person suffering from active tuberculosis can infect many others – especially other patients in a clinical location, which makes early detection key to improving patients’ outcomes and reduce the spread of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) targets reducing deaths caused by tuberculosis by 90% (compared to 2015 figures) by 2030. Artificial intelligence technologies are expected to play an important role in achieving this result.
Intelligent assistance for pre-clinical evaluation of chest X-rays
Powered by Lunit INSIGHT CXR, Lunit’s AI-based chest X-ray analysis solution, CriticalScan™ provides fast and clear pre-clinical evaluations of chest X-rays at a patient’s side and enables prompt escalation and communication between clinical care teams. It notifies radiographers of high-priority exams, for example those suspected of pleural infusion, tension pneumothorax or lung nodules, and soon also of tuberculosis.
CriticalScan™ is part of the ScanXR™ portfolio of AI-driven tools that are embedded in the MUSICA® Workstation. The tools intelligently assist clinicians and radiologists to accelerate the notification of critical pathologies and diseases that tend to be underdiagnosed or that need to be treated immediately.
Teaming up against a global threat
“According to the WHO, every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis, and 1.5 million people die.[1] A person needs to inhale only a few germs of the TB-causing bacteria to become infected. Yet, this disease is both preventable and curable. With our new CriticalScan™ tuberculosis functionality, routine chest X-rays can become part of the fight against this deadly disease. It’s a smart and silent assistant that won’t interfere with the normal workflow – unless a critical finding such as tuberculosis is detected. When tuberculosis is detected, CriticalScan™ will notify the radiographer, who can escalate the exam according to the escalation protocols in place, enabling the patient to be treated and preventing further contagion. It’s another way Agfa Radiology Solutions is empowering X-ray experts to address today’s major healthcare challenges,” explains Jeroen Spruyt, President of Agfa Radiology Solutions.
Join us at our RSNA 2024 booth to see CriticalScan™ in action: Chicago, Il., from December 1-4, booth #2565 in the South Hall.
[1] https://www.who.int/health-topics/tuberculosis#tab=tab_1
