Devices & Diagnostics

Riverain gets FDA approval of lung cancer-detection software

Riverain Technologies has received regulatory approval for the next-generation version of its imaging software that […]

Riverain Technologies has received regulatory approval for the next-generation version of its imaging software that “suppresses” bones to help radiologists detect cancerous lung nodules.

OnGuard 5.2, the latest version of the software, uses pattern recognition and machine learning technologies to essentially allow radiologists to see behind ribs and clavicles that often obscure lung abnormalities. OnGuard also circles areas that may be a lung tumor, according to the Dayton, Ohio-area company.

The software’s aim is to help clinicians reading chest X-rays get better views of pulmonary nodules — spots on the lungs that can be a form of early stage cancer, but can also be benign. The software “bolts on” to existing X-ray machines.

The new version of the software offers greater sensitivity, meaning it can better detect nodules, and better specificity, meaning it yields fewer false positives, said Steve Worrell, Riverain’s chief technology officer.

“Because the new version of the software demonstrates improved accuracy, we anticipate a greater adoption of the technology, which leads to growth of our install base,” Worrell said. “That leads to more revenues, greater brand recognition and better patient outcomes.”

A recent study of the new version of OnGuard by researchers at University of Chicago Medical Center found that the software identified 25 percent more lung cancers than radiologists found when reviewing the same X-rays without OnGuard.

Riverain is readying a new “temporal comparison product,” which compares two different chest X-rays done at different times, and then produces a third image to help radiologists study changes to a patient’s condition, Worrell said. The company is hoping for U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of the new product before the end of the year.

Last year, Riverain reached a deal with imaging giant Siemens to offer its technology as part of Siemens’ Ysio digital radiography system.

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