AI Osteoporosis Screening: HeartLung and Imaging Wire on Saving Lives and Reducing Costs

HeartLung's medical leadership featured on Imaging Wire Show to discuss breakthrough new AI for opportunistic osteoporosis screening.

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, July 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In an enlightening interview featured on The Imaging Wire Show, HeartLung Technologies’ founder Dr. Morteza Naghavi joined a panel of leading physicians and scientists to discuss the urgent need for better osteoporosis detection and how AI-enabled tools like AutoBMD™ are transforming preventive imaging.

Joining Dr. Naghavi were several world-renowned experts in radiology and AI: Dr. David Yankelevitz and Dr. Claudia Henschke, pioneers in CT lung cancer screening at Mount Sinai and co-founders of the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP); Dr. Thomas Atlas, a California-based diagnostic radiologist; and Dr. Anthony Reeves, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Cornell University.

Together, they explored how AutoBMD™, HeartLung’s FDA-cleared AI tool, leverages existing CT scans to screen for osteoporosis without requiring additional imaging, radiation, or workflow burden. This approach—referred to as opportunistic screening—allows physicians to detect hidden disease using data already captured in chest or abdominal CT scans ordered for other clinical reasons, such as lung cancer or calcium scoring.

“We're already capturing the information needed to assess bone density in millions of scans every year. The real breakthrough is automating that analysis and delivering it to providers in a usable, reproducible way,” said Dr. Naghavi. “AutoBMD™ does exactly that—it gives doctors a DEXA-equivalent bone density report from the same scan, without extra time or cost.”

Dr. Atlas highlighted the clinical impact in his own practice, noting that nearly 90% of patients who qualified for osteoporosis screening had never been tested before. Using AutoBMD™, his practice was able to identify high-risk patients in real-time and return actionable results in just minutes, all without altering workflow. “It’s a one-click solution that fits seamlessly into lung screening or coronary calcium workflows,” said Atlas.

Drs. Henschke and Yankelevitz emphasized the importance of evolving beyond the idea of “opportunistic” findings toward a future of comprehensive CT screening, where multiple disease indicators—including osteoporosis, coronary artery disease, emphysema, and liver disease—can be detected in a single low-dose chest CT exam. “We're entering a new era where one scan can provide powerful insight into a patient’s overall health,” said Dr. Yankelevitz.

Dr. Reeves added that, from a technical perspective, AutoBMD™ represents an ideal starting point for AI-driven imaging: “Once we trained the system to locate vertebral bodies and measure trabecular bone, producing consistent, quantitative T-scores was straightforward. The impact is huge—providers get results automatically and instantly.”

The panel agreed that AutoBMD™ is only the beginning. With FDA-clearance now secured for both AutoBMD™ and AutoChamber™ (an AI tool for measuring cardiac chambers and identifying left ventricular hypertrophy), HeartLung is advancing a broader vision for AI-powered comprehensive preventive screening using routine CT scans.

Still, challenges remain. As Dr. Naghavi noted, “The biggest barriers are education and distribution. Providers are used to thinking of DEXA as the only way to screen for osteoporosis. But we now have a better, faster alternative that’s already reimbursed by Medicare—we just have to get it in their hands.”

The Imaging Wire Show interview underscores the growing momentum behind AI-driven imaging tools that unlock the full value of CT scans—making early detection of life-altering diseases more accessible, more efficient, and more effective.

AutoBMD™: Leading the Way in AI-Enabled Opportunistic Osteoporosis Screening
HeartLung's AutoBMD™ is an AI-powered, cloud-based solution for opportunistic bone mineral density measurement using existing CT scans. It is the only DEXA-equivalent, CT-based osteoporosis screening approved by the FDA, applicable to over 25 million CT scans annually and reimbursed by Medicare.

About AI-CVD™: Comprehensive AI Solution for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
HeartLung Technologies' AutoChamber™ and AutoBMD™ are integral components of AI-CVD™, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to detect and prevent cardiovascular disease. AI-CVD™ leverages advanced algorithms to analyze CT scans, identifying hidden heart risks and enabling early intervention. This comprehensive approach underscores HeartLung's commitment to revolutionizing preventive healthcare through innovative AI technologies.

About HeartLung Technologies
HeartLung leverages AI technology for the early detection and prevention of heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema/COPD, osteoporosis, myosteatosis, fatty liver disease, and other life-threatening conditions. HeartLung has received FDA "Breakthrough Designation" for AutoChamber™, an AI tool that identifies enlarged cardiac chambers and left ventricular hypertrophy in non-contrast chest CT scans, which are typically undetectable by the human eye. The AutoChamber™ AI also works on low-dose CT for lung cancer screening as well as contrast-enhanced coronary CT angiography (CCTA) scans. Additionally, HeartLung has obtained FDA 510(k) clearance for AutoBMD™, the only DEXA-equivalent, CT-based opportunistic osteoporosis screening approved by the FDA, applicable to over 25 million CT scans annually and reimbursed by Medicare. HeartLung is also awaiting FDA approval for AI-CVD™, a suite of AI modules including AI-CAC™ (AI-enabled Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring), aimed at early detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease using widely available CT scans.

Marlon Montes
HeartLung Corporation
310-510-6004
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The Imaging Wire Show - New AI Tools for Bone Density Screening

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