Siemens Healthineers Receives Recognition AI Applications in Radiology

Based on its recent analysis of the global precision imaging market, Frost & Sullivan (Santa Clara, CA, USA), a growth strategy consulting and research firm, has recognized Siemens Healthineers (Erlangen, Germany) with the 2019 Global Visionary Innovation Leadership Award for leading the effort to establish imaging as an active contributor to precision medicine.

Siemens Healthineers leverages several advances in imaging equipment, imaging IT, and informatics to deliver higher image quality so radiologists may extract deeper insights from imaging studies across modalities. The company was one of the first users of early generation machine learning algorithms, and it continues to advance its AI applications in radiology and other clinical areas to address issues such as variability.

Siemens Healthineers is pushing the boundaries of precision imaging with its planned MR fingerprinting, which is designed to be a disruptive approach to quantitative data acquisition. Using the simultaneously acquired multi-parametric data, quantitative information is planned to provide prognostic information. It also boasts PET-CT quantification capability, which enables accuracy when imaging a tumor to determine its size, location, and volume. Furthermore, the company supports personalized ultrasound imaging by developing clinical applications for real-time assessment adapted to specific diseases.

Siemens Healthineers also partners with various vendors to fill the gaps in its competencies instead of relying solely on its strengths. For example, it introduced syngo.via Open Apps and opened its platform to third-party applications, and it has partnered with Materialise NV to present the Mimics inPrint software to radiologists in hospitals. This allows radiologists to work with surgical teams by helping 3D print personalized anatomical models, especially for complex anatomical pathologies, to aid in surgical planning, patient communication, or even training.

"Siemens Healthineers has developed the BioMatrix technology on its magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) platforms, featuring respiratory, beat, and kinetic sensors. These are devices with sensitive motion correction capabilities that can even track a patient's breathing and incorporate that information during image reconstruction to provide precise imaging results," said Siddharth Saha, Vice President, Research, Transformational Health. "In addition, in Computed Tomography its Fully Assisting Scanner Technologies (FAST) 3D camera tracks patient position and motion to ensure excellent image quality and standardization of image acquisition protocols."