FDA has just given a nod to NinePoint Medical’s Intelligent Real-time Image Segmentation (IRIS) software upgrade for the NvisionVLE Imaging System. The Bedford, MA-based company said IRIS is an artificial intelligence-based platform for image feature segmentation is the first tool of its kind approved for use in imaging of esophageal tissue.

The NvisionVLE Imaging System allows physicians to perform a Volumetric Laser Endomicroscopy (VLE) procedure that produces real-time, high-resolution cross-sectional images. This system enables gastroenterologists to thoroughly evaluate the esophageal tissue surface and sub-surface for potential disease that may not be visible with conventional medical imaging technologies such as endoscopy and ultrasound.

The new IRIS upgrade uses machine learning algorithms to segment and visualize esophageal image features in real-time, to assist clinicians as they identify and target regions of interest during an endoscopic procedure.

“The clearance of the IRIS product marks the successful culmination of a multi-year development effort within our organization, and with [FDA],” Eman Namati, PhD, president and CEO of NinePoint Medical said in a release. “We are eager to roll this out in a controlled-market release in the coming months prior to making the technology more broadly available.”

AI has been a hot topic in medtech in 2018 and MD+DI has been on the frontlines covering the recent AI boom. That coverage spawned a webinar titled, How Artificial Intelligence Has Changed Everything for Medtech hosted by Dave Saunders CTO and Co-founder of Galen Robotics. In addition, MD+DI listed six companies with AI-based technology slated to rock the medtech sector.