AI Tool Detects Cervical Spine Fractures from CT Scans

A cervical spine fracture, often caused by traumatic injury, involves a break in one or more of the seven vertebrae in the neck, which can lead to spinal cord injury, neurological damage, or even paralysis. The prognosis for such fractures depends largely on the severity of the injury, but timely detection and treatment are critical to improving outcomes and reducing long-term complications. Now, a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to assist in the detection and triage of cervical spine fractures from CT images offers the potential to reduce the time between scan and interpretation.

Avicenna.AI (La Ciotat, France) has developed the CINA-CSpine tool, which automatically flags suspected acute cervical spine fractures and alerts radiologists within their existing systems. The tool was validated using over 300 non-contrast CT scans from various sources in the US and Europe, acquired from 36 different scanner models across five vendors. In comparison to the ground truth determined by a consensus of three US board-certified senior radiologists, CINA-CSpine achieved a sensitivity of 90.3% and a specificity of 91.9%. While missed diagnoses are relatively rare, an AI tool like CINA-CSpine can also provide an additional safeguard, acting as a second set of eyes to help prevent errors.

Image: The CINA-CSpine algorithm enables the detection and triage of cervical spine fractures (Photo courtesy of Avicenna.AI)

Avicenna.AI has now received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its CINA-CSpine tool. This is the latest addition to the company's portfolio of AI solutions designed for automatic detection of various conditions from CT scans. All of Avicenna.AI's tools are fully integrated into radiologists' clinical workflows, with results automatically triggered and reported through systems already in use. The company's product lineup also includes seven other AI tools for detecting and preventing conditions such as intracranial hemorrhage, large vessel occlusion, aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, vertebral compression fractures, and the ASPECT Score for stroke severity quantification.

"Cervical spine fractures are serious injuries that require prompt and appropriate medical attention, especially if the spinal cord is involved, so accurate diagnosis is essential," said Cyril Di Grandi, co-founder and CEO of Avicenna.AI. "With CINA-CSpine, we aim to help reduce the delay between scan and interpretation, which is critical in the treatment of this condition."

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