Clarius Mobile Health Gets FDA Nod for AI Ultrasound Musculoskeletal Imaging Model

Offering real-time identification and automated tendon measurements of the patellar tendon, plantar fascia and Achilles tendon, a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging application has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Clarius Mobile Health said the AI model identifies viewed tendons with a transparent color overlay, labels the tendon and provides subsequent measurement calipers that align with the bottom and top of the tendon at its thickest region. Users of the AI musculoskeletal ultrasound application can then adjust the measurements to facilitate clinical decision-making, according to the company. Alan Hirahara, M.D., says the new AI musculoskeletal application is "ground-breaking technology" that will assist new ultrasound users in learning musculoskeletal structures and enhance efficiency for radiologist assessment of musculoskeletal structures. "The technology will … help current users standardize how structures are measured. In research, interobserver variability exists for any measurement of structures. With the AI standardization of measurements, interobserver reliability problems will now be non-existent. I am excited to see where this technology will go …," noted Dr. Hirahara, an orthopedic surgeon in private practice in Sacramento, Calif.