UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids has announced that it is now offering patients enhanced colonoscopies with the GI Genius intelligent endoscopy module.
The Medtronic GI Genius module is the first FDA-cleared artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted colonoscopy. It employs AI to help physicians detect potentially precancerous polyps, which can lead to colorectal cancer, according to a news release.
“The introduction of the GI Genius is advancement in colorectal cancer prevention,” said Dr. Douglas Purdy, St. Luke’s gastroenterology, in the release. “By leveraging artificial intelligence, we can significantly enhance our ability to detect precancerous polyps that might otherwise go unnoticed. This technology offers patients a higher level of care and will help improve outcomes through earlier detection and treatment. We are proud to offer this advanced technology to our community.”
According to the American Cancer Society colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and the fourth in women, but when the numbers are combined it’s the second most common cause of cancer deaths.
Early detection is essential to preventing colorectal cancer, but polyps can be difficult to see. The GI Genius module uses advanced visualization and AI software to highlight polyps in real-time, the release states. Multiple clinical studies have shown the GI Genius module offers a variety of benefits. The technology was shown to significantly decrease the miss rate of adenomas and polyps by 45.8%.
