RSNA 2024: GE Healthcare’s AI-Enabled Tech Aims to Optimize Patient Care

GE Healthcare is showcasing more than 40 innovations this week at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2024 Annual Meeting (Dec. 1-5, Chicago), including several key artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled technologies designed to optimize patient care and increase operational efficiencies.

GE HealthCare products aim to increase efficiency and help seamlessly integrate data to support precision care across multiple care pathways. These innovations represent the company’s broader AI and digital strategy, which is focused on integrating AI into medical devices, building AI applications that enhance decision-making across the care journey and disease states, and using AI to support better outcomes.

According to surveys of more than 8,000 radiology professionals included in a 2024 report from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, more than half reported feeling emotionally exhausted, and 57% felt underappreciated on the job.

“Radiologists face challenges that continue to grow, placing extraordinary pressure on an indispensable part of the healthcare imaging and diagnosis journey,” GE Healthcare CEO Peter Arduini said. “GE HealthCare is on a mission to deliver technologies that address radiologists’ biggest areas of concern. We are innovating new solutions using the latest AI and digital technologies at the device, care pathway, and enterprise-level, helping clinicians deliver a more personal, precise, and human approach to care from diagnosis to treatment to recovery.”

Simplifying and Improving Workflows

GE HealthCare offers next-generation solutions and AI-enabled products to streamline workflows and increase efficiency to drive better patient care, clinical decisions, and/or outcomes. The following workflow efficiency technologies are being showcased at the event:

• Clarify DL, 510(k) pending with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is a bone image reconstruction algorithm powered by AI that is designed to enhance bone SPECT image quality performance, an important factor in increasing diagnostic confidence.*
• nCommand Lite by IONIC Health empowers radiology staff to focus on patient care while accessing the support needed through remote collaboration and scan assistance. nCommand Lite includes multi-modality capabilities in support of magnetic resonance (MR), computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) scanning.
• True PACS and v7 PACS solution now supports Blackford’s AI orchestration platform and selective third-party AI based imaging applications, providing seamless integration of AI in the reading workflow to help radiologists and clinicians provide quick and accurate diagnosis for patients.¹ The collaboration enables True PACS and v7 PACS solution customers to directly acquire Blackford Analysis’ AI-enabled platform with a catalogue of third-party AI applications that span across various clinical area use cases, ranging from mammography to lung scans.²
• MR Max 3, a wireless syringeless power injector for gadolinium-based contrast media, is compatible with multiple contrast bottle sizes, including 24-hour multiuse containers (Imaging Bulk Packaging). The syringeless injector enhances workflow efficiency, lowers plastic waste consumption, and enables contrast optimization through the use the efficient use of Imaging Bulk Packaging containers, thus further reducing overall departmental cost by reducing contrast waste.
• Caption Guidance is AI-driven technology powered by deep learning image analysis algorithms that guide users on how to adjust the ultrasound probe. The software provides real-time, step-by-step instructions to ensure that the cardiac ultrasound images captured meet the diagnostic standard.
• Venue Sprint, a portable system in a tablet form, and the latest Venue family solution offering maximum portability and advanced capabilities for high-quality scanning and support at the point of care. Venue family ultrasound systems will also integrate wireless Vscan Air dual-probes and have access to Caption Guidance.
• Vscan Air SL handheld ultrasound system now features Caption AI, including Caption Interpretation AutoEF software, which automatically calculates a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)—an important measure of heart function. In addition, Digital Tools for Vscan Air offers key tools to securely store and share images in the cloud. GE HealthCare is launching a new trial of Digital Tools at RSNA 2024 for both existing and new Vscan Air users to evaluate new software.

Precise and Personalized Care

GE HealthCare’s integrated cancer care products leverage digital, AI and its solutions suite, along with imaging technologies and radiopharmaceuticals. These components are designed to enhance diagnoses, drive productivity, increase value, speed and efficiency, and improve overall patient health.

At RSNA 2024, GE HealthCare is exhibiting several new oncology technologies that help provide personalized care:

• Aurora, 510(k) pending with the FDA, is a new dual head SPECT/CT designed to help clinicians solve operational and diagnostic challenges as well as develop personalized approaches for better patient outcomes. It integrates deep learning image reconstruction and a collection of advanced CT clinical and effortless workflow solutions designed to help support better patient care.*
• GE HealthCare and RadNet recently announced a strategic collaboration that will leverage GE HealthCare’s legacy and scale of imaging innovation and RadNet’s DeepHealth AI-powered clinical and workflow solutions to further the innovation, commercialization, and adoption of AI in imaging. Together, GE HealthCare and DeepHealth aim to create SmartTechnology solutions that harness the power of AI to help redefine radiology workflows and address key challenges across the imaging value chain to improve speed, clinical accuracy, operational efficiency, and elevate patient care.
• Senographe Pristina Via is an advanced mammography system that introduces features designed to support technologist workflow and streamline the image acquisition process.
• CareIntellect for Oncology is a new cloud-first application that brings together multi-modal patient data from disparate systems into a single view, using generative AI to summarize clinical notes and reports. This solution also surfaces relevant data allowing care teams to quickly understand disease progression and flag potential deviations from the treatment plan to help the clinician determine next steps and inform proactive interventions. The application will likely be available in the United States next year, initially focusing on prostate and breast cancer. The company aims to quickly expand into new disease types and care areas. Tampa General Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center will be early evaluators of CareIntellect for Oncology, and integration is already underway.

In addition, theranostics is a rapidly growing field of molecular imaging leveraging radiotracers and diagnostic imaging equipment including PET and SPECT systems to precisely diagnose and monitor disease for targeted therapy delivery to patients. These therapeutic and diagnostic technologies work together to provide a personalized, highly precise, patient-centric approach to medical diagnosis and treatment.

“Cancer care requires a personalized approach across the care continuum—from early detection and diagnosis, to planning, intervention and monitoring—to help improve patient outcomes,” said Roland Rott, president and CEO of Imaging at GE HealthCare. “Because of our solutions and expertise in the healthcare industry, GE HealthCare is positioned to support every step of the theranostics care pathway while helping solve diagnosis challenges and develop personalized approaches.”

GE HealthCare has recently announced new theranostics-related innovations including:

• MINItrace Magni (MI) is helping expand access to tracer production programs and making theranostics more accessible by delivering a compact, cost-effective cyclotron capable of reliable, in-house PET tracer and radiometal production with solid target technology.³
• Omni Legend, now with 21 cm configuration, is designed to evolve with healthcare system needs across care areas, including shorter scan times and lower doses without compromising image quality in oncology, support for increasing PET amyloid imaging in Alzheimer’s diagnosis and treatment follow up in neurology, and cardiac diagnostics. It accommodates a range of tracers including fast decay and emerging tracers in cardiology. These capabilities are further enhanced with Precision DL, an innovative deep learning-based image processing software that is engineered to provide increased small, low-contrast lesion detectability compared to our conventional Time-of-Flight PET/CT scanner.ⁱ
• Flyrcado (F18 Flurpiridaz) injection is a first of its kind, FDA-approved positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (PET MPI) agent, for enhanced coronary artery disease (CAD) detection. Flyrcado delivers higher diagnostic efficacy in patients with known or suspected CAD, compared to SPECT MPI, the predominant procedure currently used in nuclear cardiology.
• GE HealthCare’s MIM Software received FDA 510(k) clearance to perform absorbed dose calculation of radionuclides using a Monte Carlo method. With this clearance, Monte Carlo dosimetry via the Dose Planning Method (DPM) will be available for use with MIM SurePlan MRT, MIM Software’s solution. This vendor agnostic technology turns the otherwise cumbersome process of performing dosimetry into a clinically realistic process via automation and standardization. In just a few clicks, and with built-in guidance, users can review absorbed doses.

Additional new products that will be demonstrated in the booth:

• Versana Premier is a multi-purpose, budget-friendly ultrasound system equipped with automation and AI-enabled productivity tools to improve workflow and clinical features designed to enhance clinical efficiency and accuracy. The system includes Digital Expert Connect, allowing users to easily collaborate virtually with colleagues across their network.
• True Enhance DL on Revolution Ascend platform is a dedicated Deep Neural Network (DNN) designed to increase contrast to support confident diagnoses in CT exams. The AI-based solution provides clinicians a simple workflow and incredible CT image quality.
• TrueFidelity DL on Revolution Apex and Revolution Ascend platforms is an image reconstruction technology that uses a Deep Neural Network to generate high-def, low-noise CT images with exceptional sharpness and low-contrast detectability with customer-preferred noise texture, at the same dose.⁴ This includes cardiac images, helping reduce noise and increase image sharpness.
• SIGNA MAGNUS is an FDA 510(k)-cleared head-only magnetic resonance (MR) scanner designed to explore advancements in neuroscience, which have been restricted by the performance limitations of conventional whole-body MR systems.⁵

RSNA attendees can learn more about thes solutions by visiting GE Healthcare’s Booth #7330.

GE HealthCare is a global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, dedicated to providing integrated solutions, services, and data analytics to make hospitals more efficient, clinicians more effective, therapies more precise, and patients healthier and happier. Serving patients and providers for more than 125 years, GE HealthCare is advancing personalized, connected, and compassionate care, while simplifying the patient’s journey across the care pathway. Together its Imaging, Advanced Visualization Solutions, Patient Care Solutions, and Pharmaceutical Diagnostics businesses help improve patient care from diagnosis, to therapy, to monitoring. GE HealthCare is a $19.6 billion business with approximately 51,000 workers.

References
¹ True PACS is a solution which contains Universal Viewer, Enterprise Archive, Centricity Universal Viewer ZeroFootprint Client, Blackford AI Orchestrator and 3rd party clinical AI apps.
² All clinical applications are not available in all countries.
³ MINItrace disclaimer: Technology in development that represents ongoing research and development efforts. These technologies are not products and may never become products. Not CE marked.
⁴ Image quality comparisons were evaluated by phantom tests of MTF, SSP, axial NPS, standard deviation of image noise, CT Number accuracy, CNR, and artifact analysis. Additionally, LCD was demonstrated in phantom testing using a model observer with the head and body MITA CT IQ Phantoms (CT191, CT189 The Phantom Laboratory). DLIR-H and ASiR-V reconstructions were performed using the same raw data.
⁵ 510(k) cleared. Not CE marked. Not available for sale in any region.

* 510(k) Pending at the U.S. FDA. Not Available for Sale in the United States. Not all products and solutions are available in all countries.

ⁱ At matched scan time and injected dose. Detectability using clinical data with an inserted 8 mm diameter liver lesion of known location and 2:1 contrast using a CHO model observer, comparing SNR from Omni Legend 32 cm with QCHD and Precision DL to SNR from Discovery MI 25 cm with QCFX.