Osimis, a Belgium-based AI platform solution provider for radiology professionals, will partner with CoLumbo, a computer-aided lumbar spine analysis and diagnostics algorithm, to reduce lumbar spine MRI examination time by up to 55% and errors of omissions by 15%, the Belgian company announced in a communiqué on April 27th.
The introduction of the new solution in Osimis’ AI platform will enable healthcare providers throughout the BeNeLux region to seamlessly access and integrate lumbar spine MRI data to detect and treat spinal conditions, including disk herniation and central/foraminal stenosis.
Tackling back pain with AI
Back pain and spinal conditions are widespread across the adult population. According to the World Health Organization, low back pain is the main contributor to the overall burden of musculoskeletal conditions, with 570 million prevalent cases worldwide, responsible for 7.4% of years of healthy life lost due to disability (YLDs), Osimis wrote in the statement.
‘Projections show that the number of people with low back pain will increase in the future and even more rapidly in low-income and middle-income countries. This indicates a real need for technologies that empower healthcare professionals with the knowledge, insights, and data they need to provide the best possible treatment for their patients,’ the company added.
Lumbar spine MRI scans are the second most common type of MRI studies after those dedicated to brain function, to help medical professionals decide the best surgical or conservative treatment.
The CoLumbo solution reads, segments, and measures spine MRI scans to provide suspected pathology descriptions, findings, and measurements with a pre-populated structured or free-text report. The software reduces the total examination time by up to 55% and reduces errors of omissions by up to 15%, according to the company. CoLumbo is CE mark, TGA and FDA 510(K) certified and cleared for clinical use in Europe, Australia and the USA.
Joint efforts for common goals
“As a specialist provider of lumbar spine MRI diagnostics, we want to be able to reach our users in a safe, reliable, and GDPR-compliant manner,” Nikolay Todorov, Chief Commercial Officer at CoLumbo, said. “The Osimis dynamic AI platform provides that stability while connecting us with a community of like-minded professionals who see the transformative benefits of healthcare elevated through AI. Joining the Osimis AI Platform will grow the market awareness of our innovative lumbar spine MRI technology, as we’ll now be able to reach more hospitals and clinical settings across the European market. At the same time, we hope to help accelerate the market’s joint efforts to provide radiology professionals with the best AI solution out there by contributing our market and tech expertise to the Osimis community hub.”
Integrating the CoLumbo Spine Assistant onto the Osimis AI platform follows the recent addition of more healthcare AI specialists into the solution, such as contextflow, icometrix, Lunit, Milvue, Pixyl, and Therapixel.
“Our goal here at Osimis is to contribute to better healthcare for everyone,” comments Prof. Dr. Sergey Morozov, Chief Innovation Officer at Osimis. “Artificial intelligence is making incredible headway in many areas of medical care, including the detection of cancer cells. But with issues, injuries, and conditions related to back pain continuing to grow year after year, there’s a clear need for radiologists in this area. Our promising new partnership with the CoLumbo technology will connect these professionals with bleeding-edge lumbar spine MRI scans as part of a wider AI-powered solution. We see that as a significant step forward not just for Osimis and our partner ecosystem but the healthcare sector as a whole.”
More information about Osimis here (link website).
