Mediclinic Parkview Hospital introduces first device in Middle East that uses artificial intelligence to help detect potential signs of colon, esophageal and gastric cancers

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Mediclinic Parkview Hospital is proud to be the first hospital in the Middle East to announce the introduction of an artificial intelligence powered platform for endoscopies, the Olympus ENDO-AID, that can automatically detect suspicious lesions and polyps in real time.

The ENDO-AID’s machine learning artificial intelligence learned algorithm, can highlight areas of interest to the doctors whenever a lesion appears on the video screen, including potential cancers and benign tumours. The computer aided detection system employs a convolutional neuro network, developed by Olympus that can help to indicate the presence of colonic lesions such as polyps, malignant neoplasms and adenomas by marking them in real time on the screen.

The visual support this innovative technology provides can increase the adenoma detection rate (polyps and early cancer) and plays a crucial role in the improved accuracy of screening and prevention. It may also reduce the rate of biopsies required for further investigation as polyps may be optically diagnosed straight away.

Dr Mazin Aljabiri, Consultant Gastroenterology at Mediclinic Parkview Hospital, said on this valuable endoscopic innovation, “Certain signs of gastric cancer can unfortunately be missed on routine imaging and endoscopy, especially in countries with a low incidence of the disease and where training is limited. This innovation has added enormous value to the colonoscopy procedure as it has increased the accuracy in detecting cancer and the polyp detection rate, including picking up smaller polyps that would be more difficult to detect faster in the colon. For esophageal cancer and Barrett’s esophagus, the AI platform can assist with the subtle visual changes present in the esophagus with dysplasia (the presence of abnormal cells), where there is a risk of missing a diagnosis on a traditional endoscopy. This provides an opportunity for AI systems to improve patient care and early diagnosis of cancer and precancerous lesions.”

AI has made an important entrance into the field of gastroenterology and is building a future where the provider is assisted with these platforms for diagnosis and feature identification, reducing the occurrence of missed diagnoses and lesions to improve outcomes.

Mediclinic Middle East has supported the push towards national colorectal cancer screening annually and education about this preventable disease, continually introducing the latest technology and innovation to ensure it supports the UAE in being at the forefront of prevention and screening for its population.