FDA Approves Use Of AI Tool That Detects Wrist Fractures

To detect a fracture, you’d usually have to get the part of your body X-rayed, after which a doctor will then examine it to look for the fracture. Sometimes it can be missed, depending on how small the fracture can be, which is why it is good news that the FDA has approved the use of Imagen’s OsteoDetect.

OsteoDetect is a diagnostic tool powered by AI that has the ability to detect distal radius wrist fractures. With the use of AI, the algorithm will study 2D X-rays to look out for telltale signs of fractures and to mark them for closer study. As the FDA has stressed, this tool is not meant to replace doctors, but rather it will help with detection and potentially point doctors to areas that they might have otherwise missed.

It is unclear when you might be able to start seeing OsteoDetect used in hospitals and clinics, but its approval is good news all the same and paves the way for more use of AI in the future. We’ve already seen a fair bit of interest in AI in the medical field. For example recently the UK government has pledged to give funding towards the development of AI that can be used to diagnose brain cancer.

We’ve also seen how some researchers are using AI to predict when patients might die so as to be able to provide better end-of-life care.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General, Medical
Tags: AI (Artificial Intelligence), fda, Health