ColoCompare: colonoscopy guidance and AI assisted procedure comparison

Oslo-based company develops software to improve colonoscopy: Colonoscopy is a procedure that can detect and prevent colon cancer, but it can also miss polyps or not see them clearly. This can lower the chances of survival for patients or lead to reduced quality of life. Augere Medical AS, a company based in Oslo, Norway, is developing two software products that can make colonoscopy more accurate and reliable in cooperation with several research partners. The first product is ColoVisor, which can give doctors guidance on performing better and more thorough examinations. The second product, Digital Bowel Health Platform, that can store and analyze current and previous colonoscopy videos and data. Both products use a technique called spatial synchronization, that can align different colonoscopy videos based on their location in the colon. This can help doctors compare and visualize the colon’s health over time. The company hopes that their software can enhance the quality and effectiveness of colonoscopy, and reduce the burden of colon cancer. They believe that their approach can revolutionize the way endoscopic procedures are done, and benefit millions of patients around the world.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 3rd most common cancer worldwide and the 2nd most common cause of cancer deaths, leading to ~1 million deaths per year. Most CRCs start as growths on the inner lining of the colon or rectum, called polyps. Early detection of polyps is essential for survival, going from a low 10-30% 5-year survival probability if detected in later stages (III-IV) to a high 90% survival probability in early stages (I-II). Colonoscopy is the only procedure that allows the endoscopist to find and remove polyps during the same exam. However, it has significant limitations and is highly susceptible to human error. In this project, we propose to introduce two software products, to make colonoscopy less dependent on human factor. Our first proposed product is a Digital Bowel Health Platform, which will allow for recording, storage, analysis and retrieval of colonoscopy videos and metadata. Our second proposed product is a colonoscopy guidance system, ColoVisor, which notifies the endoscopist if any area of the bowel has been missed, or if certain areas of the bowel is inadequately examined (i.e, due to remaining stool, or unexpanded folds) and better preparation is needed. We utilize spatial synchronization technique to develop both products. The ability to spatially align colonoscopy videos in real-time is a novel and innovative approach that has the potential to transform the way endoscopic procedures are performed, allowing for the historic comparison of the state of the patient´s bowel health.