Researchers test endometriosis diagnosis with artificial intelligence

A new technique for diagnosing the uterine disease endometriosis using artificial intelligence (AI) is being developed at Baden Cantonal Hospital (KSB). According to a press release, KSB is collaborating with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich(ETH) and the ETH spin-off Scanvio Medical.

An algorithm is being tested that can be used to automatically analyze ultrasound images of the uterus. The AI-based software should enable doctors to diagnose endometriosis diseases more quickly in future, according to the KSB press release. The software detects pathologies on the ultrasound images of the uterus that are often difficult or impossible for the human eye to see. The new algorithm is to be tested for its practical suitability in everyday clinical practice at the KSB. The project is being supported by the Swiss Innovation Agency Innosuisse with around CHF 660,000.

Around 10 percent of all women of childbearing age suffer from endometriosis. Although this chronic disease is relatively common, it often goes unrecognized, according to the KSB. because the symptoms are similar to those of other diseases. It often takes years before it is diagnosed as such. In endometriosis, cells grow outside the uterus that resemble those inside the organ.

Scanvio Medical was founded in May 2024. The company, which was co-founded by AI expert Fabian Laumer and gynecologist Michael Bajka and works together with the ETH Medical Data Science Group, supports doctors in interpreting ultrasound data, according to the KSB. ce/gba