A Texas-based mammography technology lab is now using artificial intelligence to highlight whether a patient has breast arterial calcification when getting a mammogram.

Chirag Parghi, chief medical officer of Solis Mammography, said the AI technology is being offered by his firm at offices such as Washington Radiology in the D.C. area.

“We are excited to offer technologies that are FDA approved directly to patients,” Parghi told WTOP.

The idea behind the additional analysis with mammograms is to spot the potential for heart disease risk. The calcification of arteries within the breast is seen as being associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association’s journal “Circulation.”

Dr. Brian Choi, professor of medicine and radiology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, told WTOP the thinking behind looking for breast arterial calcification in mammogram results is that “perhaps we can use that breast arterial calcification information to see if that would also help us to predict those women that are vulnerable to heart disease, or more specifically, coronary artery disease.”

Choi’s assessment of the screening tool is that, “It does provide some very modest amounts of additional information that’s not captured by traditional risk factors” such as assessing markers, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, diabetes and smoking history.

Choi said that while the screening can provide added insight for risk factors of cardiovascular disease, “Generally, we do not see this being covered by insurance.”

“Ideally it would be covered by insurance,” said Parghi, adding that the process of getting the breast arterial calcification analysis covered by insurance is a long one. “We don’t want to wait for that process to happen. I believe it will, but it could take up to five to 10 years just because the process is slow.”

The out-of-pocket cost for the “Mammo+Heart Screening” at Washington Radiology is $119.

Parghi said providing the added information about potential heart health risk coupled with mammogram screenings is important because, “Mammography has worked as a screening service for women, so why not piggyback that to get as much insight as we can on other diseases, especially something as important as heart disease?”