Recognized as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, NorthShore’s Center for Breast Health recently enhanced its mammography capabilities for patients. NorthShore is now the first health system in the region to use special artificial intelligence (AI) applications in concert with its breast imaging capabilities through densitas intelliMammo.

This advanced analytics platform automatically generates breast density, clinical image quality and breast cancer risk assessments for every mammogram taken at NorthShore. All results are available to the radiologist for review with the patient and support clinical decision-making.

The AI Advantage
The new screening capabilities are particularly beneficial to patients because knowledge of breast cancer risk factors can vary considerably among women, and also is more limited in younger women who have not yet had their first breast screening exam, explained Georgia Giakoumis Spear, MD, Chief of Breast Imaging at NorthShore.

NorthShore’s Center for Breast Health performs more than 90,000 mammograms annually. All images at the Center are interpreted by dedicated breast radiologists, which research shows improve the rate of cancer detection.

“It’s really important that we measure risk factors reliably and uniformly across our entire health system, and make sure we’re providing the most precise breast health insights for our patients,” said Dr. Spear, who has an academic appointment at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. “Densitas intelliMammo provides the tools to deliver personalized measures of breast density, breast cancer risk and clinical image quality that can be used to develop unbiased, tailored screening protocols for every woman every time she has a mammogram.”

Putting Tech to Work
AI applications in healthcare assist in quickly evaluating large data sets and providing predictive analysis to assist physicians in diagnosis. Applied to radiology, AI can automatically identify complex patterns in imaging data.

 “Our focus is to deliver a well-rounded, excellent experience leveraging the latest advancements in technology with an emphasis on education and research to ensure that our practice is at the forefront of our field,” added Dr. Spear.