GE Healthcare has partnered with Netherlands-based cardiac imaging software company Medis Medical Imaging to develop and commercialise non-invasive coronary assessments to diagnose and treat coronary artery disease (CAD).

As part of the collaboration, the companies will integrate Medis Medical’s non-invasive coronary physiology assessment, Medis Quantitative Flow Ratio (Medis QFR) with GE HealthCare’s interventional cardiology portfolio around Allia Platform.

The companies expect the collaboration to provide access to emerging technologies such as Medis QFR, as per the press release. At the same time, they intend to “reduce complexity in the cath lab and improve the operating environment for clinicians”.

CAD is caused by cholesterol plaque buildup in the wall of the coronary arteries. This causes the narrowing of the arteries over time which can result in an increased risk of major cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction and even death.

The disease is diagnosed by an invasive diagnostic procedure, coronary angiography, which allows clinicians to assess the patency of arteries and determine treatment. CAD treatment includes percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during which a catheter is used to place a stent to open blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup.

Medis QFR is a non-invasive, image-based alternative diagnostic approach for diagnosing CAD. It uses AI to analyse angiography imaging to help clinicians decide if PCI is needed and, if needed, to select the best PCI plan and efficacy.

A two-year study that compared the QFR-guided strategy of lesion selection for PCI with standard angiography guidance showed that QFR use was associated with improved two-year clinical outcomes, including a reduction in myocardial infarction and ischemia-driven revascularisation.

The use of AI has been increasing in radiology and imaging. GlobalData forecasts AI to be a key driver of medical device innovation. The AI market generated approximately $93bn in sales in 2023, as per GlobalData analysis.

GE Healthcare has expanded its offerings of AI imaging software in recent years. In November 2023, the company unveiled a set of AI integrations for breast cancer imaging. In January, it acquired a medical imaging company MIM Software, whose portfolio consists of AI-powered diagnostic imaging technologies.