Matthew Kurian, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and Physician at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“AI in breast imaging is evolving beyond cancer detection!
Congratulations to DeepHealth on FDA clearance for automated breast arterial calcification (BAC) detection on routine screening mammograms.
Why does this matter?
BAC isn’t just an incidental finding. Large meta-analyses show it’s associated with:
- ~2x higher risk of future cardiovascular events
- ~4x higher odds of coronary artery disease
- Higher risks of stroke, heart failure, cardiac death, and all-cause mortality
Even more exciting, AI-quantified BAC adds cardiovascular risk information beyond traditional risk calculators, with higher BAC burden linked to progressively higher rates of major adverse cardiovascular events.
Millions of women already undergo screening mammography. Identifying elevated cardiovascular risk from the same exam – with no additional radiation, imaging, or cost – could become one of the most impactful examples of opportunistic AI screening.
- One mammogram.
- Two major diseases.
- Countless opportunities to improve women’s health and slow the leading cause of death amongst woman in the United States.
Other articles featuring Matthew Kurian on OncoDaily.