GE HealthCare has announced a collaboration with the University of California San Diego School of Medicine to investigate advanced magnetic resonance imaging (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 visualisation 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 US$882 million in outpatient management expenses.