FDA Permits Use of Aidoc's AI Algorithms to Detect and Prioritize Incidental CT Findings Associated with COVID-19

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed the use of Aidoc’s (Tel Aviv, Israel) cleared artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms intended for adjunctive use in the detection of findings associated with COVID-19.

The product is the latest addition to Aidoc's suite of AI radiology solutions with FDA and CE clearances that flag critical conditions, including intracranial hemorrhage, large-vessel occlusion, PE in pulmonary angiography and cervical spine fractures. It detects and prioritizes incidental CT findings associated with COVID-19 (e.g. GGO - a non-specific imaging finding associated with COVID-19 infection) in any CT study that contains the lung or part of the lung - for example chest, abdomen or cervical spine. The prioritization of these incidental findings could help manage the adverse effects of COVID-19 by providing adjunctive information that can promote further patient evaluation.


Several studies have found that 8-10% of patients undergoing CT scans for other conditions were discovered by radiologists to have COVID-19. These patients, who were undergoing oncology screenings or being screened for abdominal pain, did not exhibit any COVID-associated respiratory symptoms. The prompt identification of these incidental findings allows action to be taken sooner with regard to treatment or appropriate isolation. Ahead of an expected surge of delayed elective medical imaging due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Aidoc's solutions form a vital safety net that will help healthcare systems responsibly and efficiently address urgent, life-threatening conditions while managing their backlogs.

"In our experience, it is not unusual for the radiologist to be the first to diagnose COVID-19 disease in patients especially when the disease is clinically unsuspected. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic may occur in waves and should these waves occur, it will become increasingly important to identify imaging findings suggestive of COVID-19 in a variety of clinical settings," said Dr. Paul Chang, Vice Chair, Radiology Informatics at University of Chicago Medicine. "Aidoc's ability to detect and triage patients with incidental findings associated with COVID-19 acts as another layer of protection as the disease may continue to circulate in the months to come."

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