We recently reported at the again Medtronic received FDA approval for its GI Genius AI polyp detection system. The product is very flexible as it works with any video colonoscope and provides AI-powered assistance for physicians in identifying colorectal polyps during colonoscopies.
Medtronic reports that the system has significantly improved polyp detection rates, which should translate into better outcomes for colorectal cancer patients through rapid diagnosis and early treatment.
As a doctor performs a colonoscopy, the system analyzes the video data and highlights the suspicious polyps using a green box on the video channel in real time.
GI Genius relies on a massive data set of polyp images that drive its identification efforts, and this is constantly growing, which should help further improve the accuracy and sensitivity of the system.
Medgadget He had the opportunity to speak with Giovanni Di Napoli, president, gastrointestinal of Medtronic about the GI Genius system.
Conn Hastings, Medgadget: Give us an overview of colon cancer and how it is currently diagnosed.
Giovanni Di Napoli, Medtronic: Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer worldwide, with 1.8 million new cases each year. An estimated 149,500 people will be diagnosed in 2021 and 52,980 people will die of colorectal cancer in 2021. These are unacceptable rates of cancer and these deaths can be prevented. In fact, 90% of patients can beat colorectal cancer when caught early. Colonoscopies are the gold standard for colorectal cancer diagnosis and more than 10 million screening colonoscopies are performed each year in the United States. However, according to the CDC, this figure should be higher as only one-third of Americans who meet CRC selection criteria remain screenless.
And now, with COVID-19, many more have delayed major medical appointments and procedures, and traditional gastrointestinal screening tests and care delivery have declined substantially during the pandemic. And while many office visits are conducted virtually because of COVID-19, virtual platforms dedicated to gastrointestinal care are also emerging as a standard practice and will also benefit patients and health care providers in a post-COVID environment.
Medgadget: How often do clinicians miss polyps during colonoscopy and how does this affect the patient’s prognosis?
Giovanni Di Napoli: Some research has shown that between 17% and 28% of colorectal polyps are lost during colonoscopies. Detection of all colorectal polyps regardless of size, shape, or morphology may lead to better clinical outcomes for patients and reduce the risk of cancers at intervals that may occur between colonoscopies. The addition of AI can increase the quality of colonoscopies, which can improve the diagnosis and outcomes of colon cancer patients, and we are leveraging technology with GI Genius to improve health.
Early diagnosis and treatment are important to achieve the best outcome for patients with GI and patients should follow their GI recommendations in a timely manner. While we stay home to stay safe, losing or delaying medical care can lead to a late diagnosis, delayed care, and negatively affect your gastrointestinal health. There are telehealth options for patients who are hesitant to make an appointment in the midst of the pandemic. In fact, Medtronic created PillCam ™ SB3 @ HOME to modernize clinical GI services with a telemedicine option. It is an option at home to perform accurate, timely and convenient GI diagnostic tests during COVID and beyond. The program leverages our PillCam technology, approved for 20 years, with Amazon logistics to deliver it to ensure timely and accurate results.
Medgadget: Give us an overview of GI Genius and what it does.
Giovanni Di Napoli: GI Genius ™ uses advanced AI to highlight the presence of precancerous lesions with a real-time visual marker, serving as a second observer always vigilant. The GI Genius ™ complements the procedures with real-time image analysis of any video of the colonoscope and warns doctors of the presence of lesions (including those with flat (non-polypoid) morphology) with a visual marker on the screen. This can increase diagnostic accuracy, improve the rate of effectiveness of polyp detection, and reduce the risk of cancers at intervals that can occur between colonoscopies. GI Genius ™ is added to our portfolio of innovative GI solutions to improve patient outcomes through disruptive technologies.
Medgadget: How did you train the AI system to recognize polyps?
Giovanni Di Napoli: The GI Genius ™ module software has a robust data set of over 13 million polyp images of various shapes and sizes. And as data sets grow, the GI Genius ™ Smart Endoscopy Module continues to learn. We are already releasing additional datasets that will result in tens of millions more images and videos that will feed the system and ultimately achieve better performance.
Medgadget: So what kind of increases in polyp detection did you notice when using the system?
Giovanni Di Napoli: The use of the GI Genius module has shown a relative increase of 30% in ADR compared to colonoscopy alone for both flat lesions (42% increase) and polyploid lesions (36% increase). thus increasing accuracy and helping to reduce the risk of interval cancers. between colonoscopies.
Medgadget: Is the system easy to use? Does it passively run in the background while performing a colonoscopy?
Giovanni Di Napoli: The GI Genius smart endoscopy module integrates easily and seamlessly with all major brands of endoscopes and has no impact on the clinic’s current workflow. Different facilities and clinicians have different needs. The platform is highly flexible and can be integrated into the existing equipment of each facility.
Product page: G. Geni …
Flashbacks: The FDA eliminates the first AI polyp detection system for colonoscopies; GI Genius automatically identifies possible polyps during colonoscopy
