ScanNav Guidance System

A well recognised imaging modality, Ultrasound (US) is mobile, rapid, gives results in real time and avoids harmful radiation, such as X-rays. It is also much cheaper than magnetic resonance imaging. As the cost of portable medical US devices has reduced significantly there is a great opportunity for it to become more widely used for rapid diagnosis, and to reduce other more costly or harmful, imaging methods. However, US requires expertise to acquire and interpret images: the greatest barrier for wider adoption world-wide of medical US is no longer the need to improve imaging quality, but the need for highly trained personnel to acquire and interpret images. Training programmes have not kept up with demand, and there is no way to provide continuous monitoring of the performance of sonographers. This project aims at making US suitable for every day use by less expert healthcare professionals, particularly in community care settings. To do this, Intelligent Ultrasound (IU) Ltd has developed automated software technology and commercial know-how to check that obstetric US scans are fit-for-purpose. The proposed technical feasibility project will develop software to guide a non-expert to interpret obstetric US video in real-time as well as an expert. This new US guidance technology - built on IU's underpinning technology platform of deep-learning based US image interpretation - will automatically guide a non-expert to a high quality diagnostic plane in real-time. Innovate UK funding will address a global need and open up a totally new market for IU: supporting US closer to home.