AI Platform Leverages Robotic Bronchoscopy Under 3D Fluoroscopic Guidance for Precision Biopsy

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 02 Sep 2024

Image: Optellum Virtual Nodule Clinic is the world’s first AI-powered clinical decision support software for early lung cancer diagnosis (Photo courtesy of Optellum)

Lung cancer typically presents no symptoms until it is advanced, limiting treatment effectiveness and patient prognosis. However, leveraging the vast number of annual CT scans received by US patients—approximately 90 million, including those from emergency and cardiac assessments—could facilitate an "early detection system" to identify cancer before symptoms develop.

A pioneering integrated product concept from Optellum Ltd. (Oxford, UK) combines artificial intelligence (AI) with advanced robotics and imaging devices to enable precision biopsy and improve patient outcomes. The Optellum Virtual Nodule Clinic, which is the first FDA and CE-MDR-approved decision support tool for early-stage lung cancer, utilizes a Patient Discovery AI that employs Natural Language Processing. This, coupled with a clinically validated Lung Cancer Prediction (LCP) score that utilizes imaging AI/Radiomics and deep-learning neural networks, aids clinicians in identifying at-risk patients within a healthcare system and prioritizing them for further diagnostic procedures like biopsies.

The use of minimally invasive endobronchial biopsies, performed with robotic bronchoscopes under advanced imaging guidance, represents the cutting edge in diagnosing lung tissue. Integrating these technologies with Optellum’s Virtual Nodule Clinic AI platform promises to revolutionize the precision, speed, and efficiency of lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. Programs powered by Optellum’s AI have demonstrated their capability to efficiently manage larger volumes of patients, allowing clinicians to make more informed decisions regarding the necessity of interventions for small nodules. This synergistic blend of AI software, imaging, and biopsy technologies holds the potential to significantly enhance patient outcomes by ensuring more accurate diagnoses and optimizing clinical workflows.

"We are thrilled to enable interventional pulmonologists using advanced bronchoscopy platforms to grow their programs through Optellum AI-powered early diagnosis and precision intervention," said Václav Potěšil, PhD, Founder & Chief Business Officer at Optellum. "Our goal is to move beyond early lung cancer diagnosis alone, to build an AI-powered lung "operating system" that drives the right patients into the right minimally invasive therapies, saving thousands of lives."

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Optellum Ltd.