a2z Radiology AI Secures FDA Clearance for Breakthrough a2z-Unified-Triage System, Introducing the First Multi-Condition Abdomen–Pelvis CT Triage Platform in the U.S.
a2z Radiology AI has announced a major regulatory milestone with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granting clearance for a2z-Unified-Triage, an innovative AI-powered device designed to identify and prioritize seven urgent abdominal and pelvic conditions from a single CT scan. This clearance positions the company at the forefront of radiology innovation just days before the opening of RSNA 2025, the largest and most influential annual gathering in the medical imaging field. As anticipation builds ahead of the conference, a2z is highlighting its commitment to transforming abdominal and pelvic imaging workflows by introducing a unified triage capability that has not previously been available in the U.S. healthcare market.
The newly cleared a2z-Unified-Triage platform introduces a streamlined, consolidated approach to emergency radiology. Traditionally, AI solutions have been developed and deployed as narrow, single-condition tools, often requiring institutions to integrate multiple independent systems—each addressing only one clinical finding. In contrast, a2z-Unified-Triage offers a generalist, single-entry triage system that runs once on each abdomen–pelvis CT scan and automatically flags a range of potentially life-threatening conditions, helping radiologists and care teams identify high-risk cases sooner.
This innovation comes at a crucial time for radiology practices across the United States. Abdomen–pelvis CT scans represent the highest-volume CT category nationally, accounting for more than 20 million exams every year. These studies are performed for a wide variety of urgent and emergent presentations, from abdominal pain and suspected gastrointestinal obstruction to evaluation of renal pathology or aneurysms. With patient volumes continuing to rise—and with staffing shortages and growing burnout pressures affecting radiology departments—the need for intelligent tools that can support faster and more accurate clinical prioritization has become increasingly important.
a2z-Unified-Triage is designed to address this workload strain head-on. By rapidly reviewing scans and identifying cases with possible acute findings, the system automatically elevates these studies to the top of the radiology worklist. This faster prioritization can allow patients with critical conditions to receive attention sooner, reducing the risk of delayed diagnoses and supporting more timely clinical decisions in emergency settings. a2z notes that its system processes scans within minutes, enabling near-real-time triage across the entire abdomen–pelvis category.
Dr. Pranav Rajpurkar, co-founder of a2z Radiology AI and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, emphasized the company’s long-term vision and the importance of beginning with conditions that have the most significant consequences if left undetected. “We set out to build a generalist system that could scale across conditions,” Rajpurkar explained. “We are starting with high-consequence acute conditions—cases where rapid triage can have the greatest immediate impact on patient care. Our aim is to create systems that reflect how radiologists actually practice: looking for multiple things at once, not switching between a patchwork of single-purpose tools.”
Through a single, unified model and a single integration point, a2z-Unified-Triage can identify suspected cases of seven major acute abdominal and pelvic conditions:
- Small bowel obstruction
- Acute cholecystitis
- Acute pancreatitis
- Acute diverticulitis
- Hydronephrosis
- Free air (pneumoperitoneum)
- Unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
These findings represent some of the most common—and clinically urgent—reasons for emergency CT imaging. Many require rapid intervention to prevent complications, making prompt triage particularly valuable. Conditions like small bowel obstruction or free air can quickly progress into life-threatening emergencies, while others, such as acute cholecystitis or pancreatitis, benefit significantly from early recognition and timely management. In the case of abdominal aortic aneurysm, early detection can be lifesaving, especially in patients who may be asymptomatic or who present with nonspecific abdominal pain.
According to Samir Rajpurkar, co-founder and CEO of a2z Radiology AI, the clearance represents not only a technological milestone but also a major expansion of available triage solutions in the United States. “For five of these seven conditions, we’re bringing AI triage to the U.S. market for the first time,” he noted. “This is a significant step for radiology. And we’re not stopping at seven. There’s still a lot of scaling ahead.”
The company’s goal is to expand beyond these initial conditions, building toward a comprehensive triage system that mirrors the full range of potential findings on abdominal and pelvic scans. By approaching AI development as a cumulative, scalable effort—rather than a series of isolated, single-condition products— a2z plans to continue broadening the model’s capabilities, bringing more conditions under one unified platform.
The launch also arrives at a pivotal moment within the broader AI-in-radiology landscape. The industry has seen rapid growth in algorithm development, but the majority of cleared products still target narrow, highly specific use cases—most commonly in neuro, chest, or musculoskeletal imaging. Abdomen–pelvis CT, despite being one of the most complex and high-volume imaging categories, has historically lagged behind in AI coverage due to its anatomical complexity and heterogeneity of disease. a2z’s multi-condition abdomen–pelvis triage approach represents a meaningful advancement in tackling one of radiology’s largest unmet needs.
For hospitals and radiology practices, integrating a single generalist system rather than multiple individual AI tools offers both operational and economic advantages. It reduces integration overhead, simplifies workflow, and minimizes ongoing maintenance demands. The ability to add new conditions over time, without reworking existing infrastructure, also means that the value of the system will increase as the platform expands.
As the radiology community prepares to gather at RSNA 2025, a2z plans to showcase its FDA-cleared system and its broader product roadmap. The company aims to demonstrate how unified triage can streamline workflows, improve clinical responsiveness, and make radiology departments more efficient in handling acute cases.
a2z Radiology AI’s FDA clearance marks a promising step forward in the evolution of emergency imaging. By consolidating seven key acute findings into a single triage solution—and by leading the way with several first-to-market AI capabilities— the company is laying the groundwork for a future in which generalist, scalable AI systems support radiologists across an ever-expanding set of conditions.
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