Caristo Diagnostics vs Elucid (2026)
Both add something to a routine coronary CT angiogram, by different routes. Elucid's PlaqueIQ (K241524) classifies plaque against histology, including lipid rich necrotic core, on coronary and carotid CT. Caristo's CaRi-Heart measures inflammation in the fat around the arteries and estimates 10 year cardiac mortality risk; it received De Novo authorization in July 2026. Both run as cloud services with trained staff in the loop: Elucid analysts segment every study and physicians can request rework, and Caristo publishes its Instructions for Use with the operator step. Elucid's fractional flow reserve and stenosis outputs are pending FDA review. If plaque composition is the question, start with Elucid. If inflammation risk is, start with Caristo.
- You want inflammation risk: CaRi-Heart quantifies coronary inflammation and estimates 10 year cardiac mortality risk, authorized by FDA De Novo in July 2026.
- You want outcome evidence: ORFAN and CRISP-CT, in The Lancet, link higher inflammation scores to cardiac events.
- You want the limits in writing: the Instructions for Use are published openly.
- Plaque composition is the question: PlaqueIQ classifies plaque components against histology, including lipid rich necrotic core.
- You read carotid CT too: the carotid application launched in October 2025 under the same analysis.
- Your payers cover plaque analysis: PlaqueIQ is billed under Category I CPT 75577, with coverage from four of seven Medicare contractors.
This comparison is published by AI Health Index, an independent research platform that compares healthcare AI vendors objectively. Caristo Diagnostics and Elucid are each graded against the same capability taxonomy, from each vendor's own public materials and the regulatory record, under the AI Health Index verification standard. No vendor pays for placement, and no vendor has reviewed this page. How this evidence is graded
Plain facts
| Fact | Caristo Diagnostics | Elucid |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Radiology & Imaging AI | Radiology & Imaging AI |
| Headquarters | Oxford, England, United Kingdom | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Website | caristo.com | elucid.com |
Side by Side
Select any grade to read the note behind it.
Each vendor in one paragraph
Written to be quoted whole. Each paragraph opens the AI Health Index profile of the vendor: what the product is, who buys it and what it does.
Caristo Diagnostics, an Oxford spinout, measures coronary inflammation from the same routine coronary CT angiogram used to assess plaque. Inflammation changes the fat around the coronary arteries in a way CT can detect; CaRi-Heart uses AI to quantify it as the FAI-Score and to estimate 10 year cardiac mortality risk (the CaRi-Heart Risk score).
Source: AI Health Index, September 2026
Elucid analyzes coronary and carotid CT angiography to quantify and classify atherosclerotic plaque, including lipid rich necrotic core, the plaque type most linked to heart attack and stroke. Plaque-IQ, cleared by the FDA in September 2024 (K241524), classifies plaque components against ground-truth histology rather than fixed Hounsfield unit ranges, an approach the company calls CT Virtual Histology, and reports patient, vessel and lesion level composition, stenosis and CAD-RADS scoring; the carotid application launched in October 2025.
Source: AI Health Index, September 2026
Questions buyers ask
How do Caristo Diagnostics and Elucid work with the EHR?
CaRi-Plaque receives CT images from the hospital's PACS by secure transmittal (DICOM), and Caristo returns a report to the healthcare professional, with an optional primary care summary report; turnaround is set by contract and can be delayed.
With Elucid, the integration work a site takes on is not described either. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified September 27, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
How are Caristo Diagnostics and Elucid priced and sold?
In Caristo Diagnostics' case, the AMA assigned Category III CPT codes 0992T and 0993T for CaRi-Heart from January 2026; Category III codes track emerging technology and carry no set national payment, so coverage is decided payer by payer. CaRi-Plaque falls under the Category I code for AI plaque analysis.
Elucid publishes the CPT codes that apply (CCTA 75574; Plaque-IQ under Category III codes 0623T to 0626T and, from January 2026, Category I 75577) and a state by state insurer coverage map, and says 70 percent of insured US lives have positive coverage policies; four of seven Medicare contractors, EviCore and UnitedHealthcare cover AI plaque analysis. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified September 27, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Which settings and specialties do Caristo Diagnostics and Elucid cover?
With Caristo Diagnostics, the site also markets preventive screening, drug trial endpoints and intervention planning, which that validation does not cover.
In Elucid's case, the plaque classification is validated against histology, and the company markets it for a broad insured US population. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified September 27, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
What evidence is published for Caristo Diagnostics and Elucid?
The research comes from the Oxford group that founded Caristo, so it is multicenter and peer reviewed rather than independent of the company. What is not yet shown is that acting on the score improves outcomes.
Elucid publishes correlations between Plaque-IQ and pathologist-read histology from the data behind its clearance (K241524): total plaque r = 0.99, calcified 0.95, non-calcified 0.86, and lipid rich necrotic core 0.88, without the number of specimens or patients. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified September 27, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Related comparisons
Other published head to head assessments involving these vendors or their closest peers. The full set for this category is on the Clinical Decision Support page.
Elucid's histology correlations are published without the number of cases, and its fractional flow reserve and stenosis outputs are pending FDA review. Caristo's outcome evidence comes from its founders' own research, and the US indication for CaRi-Heart is not yet published. Neither vendor publishes a price.