A San Diego company has introduced software capable of reading veterinary X-rays using artificial intelligence rather than the human eye.
The software, called Vetology AI, returns an automated analysis within 30 seconds in cases involving potential heart size abnormalities, Vetology Innovations reported.
“Vetology AI works autonomously, automatically uploading a clinic’s X-rays to the secure Vetology cloud, where the software intuitively determines the potential of cardiac problems based on heart size and the comparative size of the heart in relation to the vertebral body size of the patient,” the company stated.
In non-heart cases, feline and canine X-rays are compared to an image library numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
“In the non-heart cases matched to Vetology’s image and report library, while the user is not receiving a report on their patient’s X-rays in 30 seconds, the vet is receiving up to 30 different radiology reports on X-rays very similar to the one they just uploaded,” the company stated. “Because there are only so many ways things can look on X-rays, a detailed radiology report for one animal could be helpful to evaluate similar radiographs of another animal.”
Vetology Innovations founder Seth Wallack, DVM, DACVR, said artificial intelligence will have “a dramatic and positive effect on the entire veterinary industry.”
“The automated heart evaluation function of our AI technology is something we are excited about because without any input from a human, the software can immediately notify a veterinarian that further cardiac evaluation may be needed,” Dr. Wallack said. “This technology is not even being used in human medicine yet and will continue to improve with self-teaching.”