A Closer Look at 3D AI Mapping with Prostate MRI

Soroush Adam Ramin, MD, said Unfold AI combines prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) views, needle track marks from an MRI fusion biopsy and the pathology report to create an enhanced three-dimensional (3D) image, which facilitates improved precision in focal therapy and prostatectomies.

“All of these are combined in Unfold AI to create that three-dimensional image. It's an image that I can toggle, turn the prostate in different directions, I can rotate it, and I'll know exactly where the cancer was,” explained Dr. Ramin, the director of Urology Cancer Specialists in Los Angeles.

In a recent interview with Diagnostic Imaging, Dr. Ramin also noted a prognostic capability with the Unfold AI software, which was recently added to Medicare Physician Fee Schedules for the West Coast and Mountain West regions in the United States.

“I can also build prediction models on what's the likelihood of some of that cancer being outside the prostate, not only based on the biopsy needle tracks, but based on how aggressive the cancer is and the volume of cancer in that location. All of those are things that are used to create this three-dimensional image that we were talking about that I think is important for your viewers to understand as well,” explained Dr. Ramin.

Dr. Ramin noted that he recently started incorporating Unfold AI (Avenda Health) into robotic prostatectomy procedures.

“ … As I was doing the prostate cancer surgery, I could essentially operate in a dual screen. One screen is live, real-time imaging of the of the body organ that I'm operating on and then on the bottom screen, I can look at the prostate model and determine where the cancer is and how I need to tweak my surgery to give myself a better chance to obtain negative margins, and give the patient a better chance to be cured of the prostate cancer as a result of the operation,” added Dr. Ramin.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “Study: MRI-Based AI Enhances Detection of Seminal Vesicle Invasion in Prostate Cancer,” “Prostate MRI Study Shows Prognostic Value of PRECISE Scoring System for Active Surveillance of PCa” and “Can AI Have an Impact in Detecting and Classifying Prostate Lesions on bpMRI?”)