Reclassification of Medical Image Analyzers

FDA has issued a final order to reclassify:

  • medical image analyzers applied to mammography breast cancer
  • ultrasound breast lesions
  • radiograph lung nodules
  • radiograph dental caries detection

all which are post-amendments class III devices (regulated under product code MYN), into class II (special controls), subject to premarket notification. These devices are intended to direct the clinician’s attention to portions of an image that may reveal abnormalities during interpretation of patient radiology images by the clinician. FDA is also identifying the special controls that the Agency believes are necessary to provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device type.

These devices (generic name: medical image analyzer including CADe devices) are intended to identify, mark, highlight, or in any other manner direct the clinicians’ attention to portions of a radiology image that may reveal abnormalities during interpretation of patient radiology images by the clinicians.  This device incorporates pattern recognition and data analysis capabilities and operates on previously acquired medical images. This device is not intended to replace the review by a qualified radiologist and is not intended to be used for triage or to recommend diagnosis.

 

About the author

Partner and General Manager, Brian Pate is ISO 1385:2016 Lead Auditor certified for Medical Device Quality Management Systems (MD), and ISO 19011:2018 Management Systems Auditing (AU) and Leading Management Systems Audit Teams (TL). Brian started his medical device career in anesthesia clinical research in 1985 and has since worked both academia and industry including many years with Johnson & Johnson, Baxter Healthcare, and GE Medical. Brian’s roles have included software engineering, systems engineering, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs. Brian has served on multiple AAMI TIR working groups, including TIR32-2008 (Application of ISO 14971 Risk Management to Software; now IEC 80002-1) and TIR45-2012 (Guidance on the use of Agile practices in the development of medical device software) and served as a reviewer for the 2nd edition of TIR45. Brian serves on the AAMI Software Committee and as an AAMI instructor for the software, design controls, and agile methods courses. Brian also is a member of the Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) Standards Technical Panel for UL1998 (Software in Programmable Components) and or UL5500 (Remote Software Updates).

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