Study Confirms Elucid’s AI Software Accurately Estimates Lesion-Specific Ischemia Compared to Standard of Care

The team at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), led by Akos Varga-Szemes, MD and Joseph Schoepf, MD showed that Elucid’s AI software can quantitate both vessel structure and histologically-validated plaque composition from a routine CT angiography (CTA). These measurements were fed into Elucid’s computational neural networks to accurately estimate ischemia.

“The combination of Computed Tomography-based Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR_ct) and plaque morphology provides the clearest overview of myocardial ischemia in order to determine treatment options for a patient. In our study, we set out to confirm that non-invasive plaque morphology-based FFR may be used to accurately estimate lesion-specific ischemia,” said Dr. Varga-Szemes, study investigator, and Associate Professor of Radiology and Director of Cardiovascular Imaging Research, MUSC. “Leveraging Elucid’s software, the study demonstrated a strong level of sensitivity and specificity relative to invasive FFR.”

Several large clinical trials have demonstrated that plaque composition is the culprit of most major heart attacks. However, morphology has not been used to evaluate plaque as the cause of ischemia because diagnostic options are often invasive and less accurate. The majority of patients with suspected enigmatic coronary artery disease are admitted for an invasive procedure, where catheters and wires are used to measure a specific blockage to determine if it is causing angina, which in turn can guide stent placement(s) required to clear the blockage and restore flow. In recent years, there has been a push by the cardiology community for a non-invasive tool that would minimize more expensive invasive testing. Non-invasive diagnostic imaging, in particular computed tomography angiography (CTA), has proven an invaluable tool in the fight against heart disease in recent years.

“Invasive cardiac catheterization coupled with pressure sensors is currently the standard of care to evaluate coronary plaque as the cause of ischemia,” said Andrew Buckler, founder and CTO of Elucid. “Use of the non-invasive Elucid software analysis to assess the vasodilative capacity is as accurate or more so than computational fluid dynamics-based simulations when compared to the standard of care invasive measurement in predicting risk of ischemia, and this is scientifically and clinically significant as it provides a direct measure on the functional significance of the lesion where it actually originates. Elucid’s unique combination of objective validation and AI processing is a game-changer for measuring both FFR and plaque stability, helping physicians make treatment decisions requiring only a non-invasive test.”

About Elucid
Elucid is a Boston-based medical technology company using AI to provide physicians with a cost-effective means to optimize treatment decisions for patients with known or suspected cardiovascular disease and drive diagnostic precision forward towards truly personalized medicine. The company’s software is the first FDA-cleared & CE-marked non-invasive tool to quantify atherosclerotic plaque against histology, quantify Lipid Rich Necrotic Core, and derive fractional flow reserve based on the vasodilative capacity of the vessel wall. This unique information informs better treatment decisions by physicians and early prediction and prevention of cardiovascular disease leading to better patient outcomes, improved quality of care and reducing overall cost. Elucid’s software is available for commercial use in the U.S. and Europe. To learn more visit https://www.elucidbio.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn.