GE HealthCare, UCSD to Collaborate on Advancing Female Pelvis MRI Techniques

GE HealthCare and the University of California San Diego School of Medicine announced a collaboration to investigate advanced MRI protocols and techniques for female-specific diseases and conditions of the pelvis and develop comprehensive educational materials for clinicians. The goal of the project is to elevate women’s pelvic health, filling an important gap in medical research and care. Its results have the potential to enable clinicians to make more informed decisions, diagnose diseases and conditions faster and provide increased access to quality pelvic care for women.

The Center for Translational Imaging and Precision Medicine (CTIPM) at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine will be the collaborating site to conduct the project. The project will be led by Rebecca Rakow-Penner, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Radiology and Bioengineering at UC San Diego and Deputy Director for CTIPM.

The project encompasses a wide spectrum of diseases of the female pelvis, including better visualization of endometriosis and ovarian cancer using MRI techniques in both clinical and academic research settings.

Pelvic diseases and conditions in female patients are often understudied, misdiagnosed, and ineffectively treated, which can be debilitating for women and cause substantial economic burden for healthcare systems, hospitals and patients. In the US, pelvic pain accounts for an estimated 20% of all outpatient appointments in secondary care for female patients and an estimated $882 million in outpatient management expenses.

“We aim to democratize advanced imaging for women and increase access to high-quality care in the San Diego community and beyond,” said Dr. Rebecca Rakow-Penner, Director of the Women’s Imaging Lab at UC San Diego Health. “Women’s care requires a personalized approach and we hope to advance care solutions for women by improving the diagnosis and management of female pelvic conditions, both benign and malignant. The results of the collaboration will have the potential to help improve the patient experience and equip clinicians with a toolset to deliver a higher level of care that every woman deserves access to.”

The project plans to create training and educational materials alongside the protocols, all of which could be available as resources for GE HealthCare MRI users around the world, in the hopes of creating a lasting impact in regional and global communities. Increasing access to advanced imaging techniques for clinicians can help drive effective diagnosis and management of pelvic diseases and conditions for female patients.

“Diseases and conditions impacting female patients bellow the belly button are often misdiagnosed, misunderstood, and understudied in our industry,” stated Erin Angel, PhD, GE HealthCare Global Vice President, Research and Scientific Affairs. “We are optimistic that the results of the project could support more standard adoption of advanced imaging techniques and ultimately empower clinicians to make more informed decisions. We believe this project can help bridge an important gap in women’s healthcare and increase access of innovative solutions to women around the world.”

The collaboration aims to elevate women’s pelvic healthcare and increase access to innovative imaging solutions for female patients, enabling faster diagnosis and treatment and improved patient care.