Radiologists in Canada are using an AI-driven screening tool to improve population bone health
Osteoporosis is sometimes called the “silent thief”. Bones deteriorate over years, leading to low bone mineral density (BMD) and increased risk of fracture. Often, an osteoporotic fracture is the first sign of the disease. These fractures lead to reduced quality of life for patients and significant costs for the healthcare system. For this reason, Canada has screening guidelines for patients 50 years of age and older, which aim to identify patients at risk of fractures before fractures occur. Despite these guidelines, screening rates are low.
Using a new, artificial intelligence-driven screening tool, RhoTM, radiologists now have the means and opportunity to help boost these screening rates. The vast majority of adults over 50 years of age undergo an x-ray for some reason, such as back pain, or to rule out pneumonia. When installed on an institution’s network, Rho takes the opportunity to automatically screen these x-rays for low BMD. The software automatically detects, retrieves, and analyzes eligible x-rays as soon as they are acquired. Rho generates a score from 1-10, where the higher the score, the higher the likelihood that the patient has low BMD. The radiologist can choose to include Rho’s finding in their report if the patient has a high likelihood of having low BMD. Inclusion of such a finding could prompt the referring physician to conduct a clinical fracture risk assessment, thereby improving low osteoporosis screening rates.
Rho has been installed at multiple imaging facilities across Ontario and Alberta. Over 70,000 patients have been screened, and 45 per cent of them were at risk for low BMD. By triggering a fracture risk assessment, Rho gives these patients and their healthcare providers a chance to discuss the best ways to slow the rate of bone loss and minimize fracture risk.
Rho was developed by 16 Bit Inc., a Toronto-based medical device company, co-founded by Canadian radiologists Drs. Mark Cicero and Alexander Bilbily. 16 Bit’s mission is to create trusted AI-based medical software to improve the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of healthcare for all.
