French healthtech company Sonio, has introduced Soniopedia, a new cloud-based AI-powered software designed for prenatal ultrasound training. This announcement was made at the World Congress of Fetal Medicine (FMF) in Lisbon. Soniopedia aims to address the training challenges in prenatal ultrasound by simulating cases from the initial ultrasound image to the necessary genetic tests within a single cloud-based platform.
Prenatal medicine is notably complex, and practitioners often lack comprehensive solutions to guide them through all stages of ultrasound practice. Sonio’s mission is to support professionals in this field by providing an advanced training tool. In collaboration with École Polytechnique, Sonio has patented this solution, developed from the doctoral research of Rémi Besson, co-founder of Sonio. Besson’s work was conducted within the obstetrics department of Professor Yves Ville at Hôpital Necker (AP-HP).
Besson presented Soniopedia at the FMF World Congress, which gathered over 3,000 fetal-maternal medicine specialists and obstetricians-gynecologists in Lisbon from June 22 to 26, 2024. The software can handle at least 3,700 possible combinations to simulate accurate diagnostics in real time, considering visible ultrasound signs, medical history, risk factors, and genetic information.
He explains: “At Sonio, we are deeply committed to advancing prenatal health through innovation. Soniopedia is primarily a training and educational tool that leverages artificial intelligence to simulate complex diagnostics, providing practitioners with in-depth clinical expertise on rare cases. Our goal is to bridge the gap between theory and practice while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. We aim to ensure that women worldwide have access to superior prenatal care.”
Soniopedia is not classified as a medical device but provides healthcare professionals access to a probabilistic AI model trained on fetal medicine databases such as Omim, Orphanet, and HPO. The tool aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice by offering a unique, updated database comprising around 1,177 clinical signs, over 450 syndromes, and 4,684 malformations. It guides healthcare professionals from initial ultrasound results to potential genetic implications, integrating medical history, risk factors, and genetic information for a holistic approach.
This collaborative and interdisciplinary tool is intended for use by trainees, sonographers, obstetricians-gynecologists, geneticists, genetic counselors, and fetal medicine interns within CPDPN settings.
Since its inception in 2020, Sonio has been focuses on improving women and children’s health globally through medical advancements. The company specializes in developing IT solutions and AI assistant features for obstetrics and gynecology ultrasound, aiding medical professionals in evaluating and documenting ultrasound exams. Samsung Medison, a global medical equipment company affiliated with Samsung Electronics, acquired Sonio earlier this year.
