Elucid has launched PlaqueIQ, an AI-based image analysis software that quantifies plaque build-up to evaluate a patient鈥檚 risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2024, the Boston-based company鈥檚 offering is claimed to be only computed tomography (CT)-based plaque analysis software authorised by the agency that has a carotid vasculature indication.
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Following coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for the production of 3D images of the heart鈥檚 blood vessels, PlaqueIQ works by a process Elucid calls 鈥榥on-invasive CT virtual histology鈥�. By applying AI-based image-restoration algorithms to mitigate motion and calcium blooming artefacts, the software mimics tissue-level analysis without the need for a biopsy.
This approach allows carotid and coronary artery disease risk such as ischemic stroke to be evaluated from a single CT scan.
Elucid鈥檚 employment of AI is part of a wider industry trend with the technology. A 2023 report by GlobalData forecasts that AI platforms in healthcare will reach a valuation of
PlaqueIQ is specifically designed to quantify lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC) build-up in the carotid arteries 鈥� this is the high-risk plaque that with the risk of ischemic stroke or heart attack due to arterial rupture.
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By GlobalDataIn a testimonial for Elucid, Dr David Deaton, adjunct associate professor of surgery at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said the ability to characterise plaque composition precisely 鈥渞evolutionises鈥� carotid stroke risk assessment.
Deaton said: 鈥淧recise determination of plaque composition supersedes the traditional stenosis assessment and allows a more accurate identification of patients at highest risk for carotid stroke and facilitates procedural choice and planning.”
By assessing CT scans, Elucid said the software helps physicians prioritise and personalise treatment plans for patients based on actual coronary and carotid artery disease, rather than population-based risk.
Commenting on the software鈥檚 launch, Elucid鈥檚 CEO Kelly Huang said: 鈥淎t Elucid, it鈥檚 our mission to go after the number one source of heart attack and stroke, and that is plaque wherever it occurs in the coronary or carotid vasculature.
鈥淲e envision a day that with just one scan, physicians can gain a powerful understanding of systemic atherosclerotic risk in order to personalise treatment for and monitor the whole patient.鈥�
CVD is largely driven by myocardial infarction and ischemic strokes caused by plaque build-up and rupturing of the arteries (atherosclerosis). While physicians assess various metrics such as age, diet, and lifestyle factors to assess CVC risk,聽聽that the amount and type of plaque patients have in their arteries is the strongest predictor of future events.
