Chest imaging confirms a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Computed tomography (CT) is often the test of choice. It is particularly accurate, and allows viewing of the pulmonary arteries and the detection of the presence of blood clots. In some cases, a scan may be performed. The patient is administered a radioactive tracer that diffuses into the body. In this case, it is the patient who emits radiation captured by the device, unlike the CT scan, where the radiation is emitted by the device. Both tests have the merit of being non-invasive.
A pulmonary embolism can also be detected when it was not being sought. Thanks to advances in medical imaging, there is almost no escaping the attention of specialists. Sometimes an examination requested for one pathology leads radiologists to discover others. On average, these “incidentalomas”, or chance discoveries, occur in 20% of cases 1. Their prevalence varies greatly depending on the type of imaging used. Chest CT has the highest percentage of incidentalomas at 45% 2.
A vital issue for cancer patients
While pulmonary embolism is the second leading cause of death in cancer patients, its chance discovery makes it possible to act to extend patient life expectancy and comfort. Accordingly, the latest recommendations from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) state that accidental pulmonary embolism in cancer patients must be managed in the same way as symptomatic pulmonary embolism 3.
How can you make sure you don’t miss such a condition when it is present? Artificial intelligence helps specialists analyze images with more acuity and more quickly, and is therefore a valuable ally for them. That’s why Olea Medical is launching Off Search Findings, a new product line within its tomographic post-treatment automation platform. Its purpose: to report unexpected abnormalities, or other clinically relevant results discovered by chance.
AI to streamline triage for chance detection of pulmonary embolism
In this range, the first AI-powered solution, called iPE, is very promising for triage of pulmonary embolisms discovered by change. It includes the latest deep learning algorithms. These have been trained using more than 4,795 cases, with a considerable amount of data, so they are able to analyze large amounts of information quickly and accurately. With the iPE solution, it is no longer necessary to systematically check each CT scan. Because it is integrated into the workflow of the automation platform, iPE always remains active. The software alerts the user when further analysis of a chest CT scan is required.
It is then essential for medical imaging specialists to share incidentalomas in a clear and visual manner. Accordingly, automatic notifications and key images are instantly sent to their preferred work tool (mobile, email, PACS image archiving system). Real-time treatment greatly accelerates daily tasks and ensures that a pulmonary embolism discovered by chance will always be managed and will receive appropriate follow-up.
1 https://sante.lefigaro.fr/article/les-progres-de-l-imagerie-medicale-sont-source-de-surtraitement
2 https://www.egora.fr/actus-medicales/imagerie-medicale/40281-incidentalomes-ce-sont-les-scanners-thoraciques-qui-en-sont
3 https://francais.medscape.com/voirarticle/3604222?reg=1
