Predicting aortic vessel wall strength to provide effective treatment
Development of AI-based Image-guided Software to Predict Aneurysm Growth Risk
PROJECT METRICS
The Challenge
Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) pose a significant and often under-addressed clinical risk. Despite advancements in medicine, treatment decisions for AAAs still follow decades-old guidelines based solely on aneurysm diameter—typically 5 cm for women and 5.5 cm for men. This one-size-fits-all approach fails to account for the actual structural integrity of the vessel wall. As a result, patients with small but fragile aneurysms may be sent home with instructions to “wait and monitor,” even though these aneurysms can still rupture with deadly consequences. Meanwhile, surgery for AAAs carries its own risks, including bleeding, infection, and long-term complications. The lack of precise, individualized risk assessment leaves both patients and surgeons facing high-stakes decisions with limited information.
The Solution – INOVAIT Project
With support from INOVAIT’s Pilot and Focus Funds, ViTAA Medical is addressing this clinical gap with an AI-enhanced 3D modelling platform that provides a far more accurate and personalized assessment of AAA risk. By analyzing CT scan data, ViTAA’s software builds colour-coded 3D models that show areas of strength and weakness in the vessel wall. It generates a risk score from 0 to 10, factoring in shear stress from blood flow, vessel wall deformation, and clot thickness within the aneurysm. Unlike “blackbox” AI tools, ViTAA’s explainable “glassbox” system allows physicians to audit how decisions are made. Clinical studies have shown 100% sensitivity and 92% specificity in predicting rupture. The tool also improves surgical planning by guiding stent placement in structurally strong tissue, reducing post-operative complications and advancing the standard of care for AAAs.
Funding Type: Focus Fund
Year of Funding: 2022
INOVAIT Funding Amount: $1,999,998.97
Total Project Funding Amount: $5,999,996.91
ViTAA Medical
ViTAA Medical Solutions is a Montreal-based medtech company advancing AI-driven tools for the personalized assessment and treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Founded in 2019 by Dr. Elena Di Martino, Dr. Randy Moore, and Steve Arless, ViTAA developed the RAW™ (Regional Areas of Weakness) Mapping technology. With clinical validation demonstrating high predictive accuracy, ViTAA is poised to transform vascular care by offering precision diagnostics that improve patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary interventions.
"The INOVAIT program was instrumental in turbocharging our R&D curriculum through hiring of highly skilled engineers and equipment. There is no way we could have kept our astonishing development momentum without this level of support."
Mitchel Benovoy
CEO
ViTAA Medical