guiding an MRI technician or calculating blood flows—those figures would be generated by the Web-based software within minutes.
And hospitals would still be able to use their existing MRI machines—GE Healthcare can modify its own scanners that are as old as 15 years, Stahre says. A cardiologist can look at the patient’s 3D scan outside the hospital using the browser on a Web-connected computer.
Over time, GE Healthcare and Arterys expect to use machine learning to extract insights from the aggregate MRI data analyzed from large numbers of scans taken from different (anonymous) individuals. The Arterys analytics software would search for image features that can be used to predict the advance of a heart condition, and the likelihood that a certain treatment will be successful.
Both Arterys and GE Healthcare plan to extend the use of their technologies to illnesses beyond heart disease.
Stahre says customizing the radiofrequency pulse sequences of MRI scanners could yield valuable images of the brain and musculoskeletal structure, and diagnostic insights in the treatment of diseases including cancer and multiple sclerosis.
“We’re just scratching the surface of the potential here,” Stahre says.
