Colonoscopy Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

Medtronic turns to third-party developers to boost GI Genius’ AI

The GI Genius module’s AI-based enhancements include green boxes that highlight areas that may need extra scrutiny during a colonoscopy. [Image courtesy of Medtronic]

Medtronic has turned to Nvidia to enable an AI Access platform to boost the GI Genius intelligent endoscopy module’s capabilities.

Think of a software-based business model — an app marketplace — where third-party developers create new AI tools to boost early colorectal cancer detection during colonoscopies. It’s a type of product development strategy that may become more common among medical device companies, especially as they shift toward more innovation in the digital space.

The world’s largest medtech company points to GI Genius as the first FDA-cleared, AI-assisted colonoscopy tool that helps physicians detect polyps leading to colorectal cancer. Cosmo Pharmaceuticals, GI Genius’s developer and manufactur…

Olympus applauds CMS move to expand access to colonoscopies

Olympus says CMS recently took a significant step forward to boost colorectal cancer care in the U.S.

CMS, on Nov. 1, announced that it will eliminate Medicare cost-sharing for a follow-up colonoscopy after an at-home stool test returns a positive result. Defining such colonoscopies as preventative services means that Medicare beneficiaries will no longer have out-of-pocket costs for both tests.

Medicare has also reduced the minimum age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45 years.

“These rule changes represent a significant step toward improving colorectal cancer care and expanding access to preventive screenings,” said Paul Skodny, executive director of Global Health Economics & Market Access at Olympus Corp. of America.

“The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) considers colonoscopy the gold standard for screening, but the procedure may not be readily available to everyone. That’s why it̵…

AI-aided colon cancer tech gets FDA nod

Cosmo Pharmaceuticals announced today that it received marketing authorization for its GI Genius AI-based lesion detecting system.

GI Genius is an intelligent endoscopy system that uses AI/machine learning to detect lesions in the colon such as polyps or suspected tumors in real-time during a colonoscopy, according to a news release.

The device, which received FDA approval through the de novo pathway, is compatible with all endoscopes. Cosmo is the sole manufacturer, while Medtronic is the exclusive worldwide distributor.

Made up of hardware and software designed to highlight portions of the colon, the device uses AI algorithms to identify regions of interest where it may detect a potential lesion. GI Genius generates markers, which appear as green squares and are accompanied by a short, low-volume sound. It superimposes them on the video from the endoscope camera when a potential lesion is identified.

The device’s signals alert a clinician …