GE HealthCare Unveils AI-Enabled Urology Software Feature Prostate Volume Assist

• Prostate Volume Assist (PVA) is the company’s proprietary urology-based artificial intelligence (AI) software feature designed to automate the manual process for generating prostate volume measurements
• New AI software feature will be available for use on the bkActiv, bk3000/5000 and bkSpecto active imaging systems
• Addition of AI solution advances leadership in urological active imaging

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE HealthCare (Nasdaq: GEHC) today announced the launch of Prostate Volume Assist (PVA) urology-based artificial intelligence (AI) software feature. As a global leader in ultrasound-guided solutions in urology, this AI-based software feature is designed to support clinicians in prostate imaging, biopsies and guiding treatment. This new feature assists urologists by offering a solution that improves workflow and quickly captures prostate volume. The added functionality with PVA can determine calculations and measurements of the organ with an automated, one-click process.

The prostate volume is an essential measurement in the imaging workflow as it is helpful in identifying and planning treatment for several prostate diseases, including prostate cancer where these calculations are critical in determining prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD), a value used to detect and manage the disease.¹ Prostate cancer impacts millions of men around the world and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths.² In 2020, prostate cancer accounted for 14.1 percent of all cancer cases in men and 6.8 percent of all cancer-related deaths in men.² The disease burden of prostate cancer continues to increase, creating a need for effective prevention, management and treatment approaches.

“Normally, clinicians determine prostate volume through a manual, repetitive process that requires measuring multiple dimensions and applying a mathematical formula,” said Fredrik Gran, Head of Innovation, Surgical Visualization and Guidance, Ultrasound at GE HealthCare. “Prostate Volume Assist uses artificial intelligence to automate this process with a single click, and yield results in less than two seconds. This technology provides an added level of support for urologists to improve efficiencies in the workflow and enable precision care.”

PVA will be available on the bkActiv, bk3000/5000 and bkSpecto. The addition of the PVA AI software feature supports this scalable portfolio of products to assist clinicians in managing treatment with greater confidence. The robust surgical visualization and guidance portfolio includes the next-generation bkActiv—which employs advanced algorithms to automatically optimize image clarity, providing enhanced detail image quality—as well as bkSpecto and bk3000/5000 for high-quality ultrasound guidance for urology procedures.

"As a trusted partner for urologists around the world, we are proud to offer Prostate Volume Assist technology to expand the capabilities of our active imaging systems,” said Urvi Vyas, General Manager, Surgical Visualization and Guidance, Ultrasound at GE HealthCare. “This technology provides urologists with a unique solution to enhance workflows, guide surgical urology procedures, and allow them to quickly retrieve the important details they need to make critical treatment decisions.”

PVA on the bkActiv, bk3000/5000 and bkSpecto are available in key countries around the globe. GE HealthCare will debut the new AI technology at the European Association of Urology Congress in Paris on April 5 to April 8 and American Urological Association Annual Meeting in San Antonio on May 3 to May 6.

For more information on PVA, please visit: https://www.bkmedical.com/applications/prostate-imaging-ultrasound/.

About GE HealthCare Technologies Inc.

GE HealthCare is a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, dedicated to providing integrated solutions, services, and data analytics to make hospitals more efficient, clinicians more effective, therapies more precise, and patients healthier and happier. Serving patients and providers for more than 100 years, GE HealthCare is advancing personalized, connected, and compassionate care, while simplifying the patient’s journey across the care pathway. Together our Imaging, Ultrasound, Patient Care Solutions, and Pharmaceutical Diagnostics businesses help improve patient care from diagnosis, to therapy, to monitoring. We are a $19.6 billion business with 51,000 colleagues working to create a world where healthcare has no limits.

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¹ Albayrak, N.B.; Akgul, Y.S. Estimation of the Prostate Volume from Abdominal Ultrasound Images by Image-Patch Voting. Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 1390. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031390.
² Zhang, W., Cao, G., Wu, F. et al. Global Burden of Prostate Cancer and Association with Socioeconomic Status, 1990–2019: A Systematic Analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study. J Epidemiol Glob Health 13, 407–421 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44197-023-00103-6.