Mirada introduces image fusion package
Mirada Solutions Ltd. (Oxford, England) recently received FDA
510(k) clearance to begin marketing Fusion7D, the company's new
platform for rigid and nonrigid (deformable) registration. This
vendor-neutral software package is not organ specific and can
support any combination of computed tomography (CT),
positron-emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
imaging data with minimal or no user input. The system can be
deployed as a standalone workstation on a Windows NT platform or
can be integrated into a PACS or an individual imaging
modality.
The company's proprietary RegLib registration libraries are
included. The library functionalities include 3D-3D and 2D-2D
registration functionality; rigid registration for CT-MRI, MRI-MRI,
MRI-SPECT fusion for neurology applications; and deformable
registration for CT-PET fusion for lung imaging. A Java graphic
user interface allows the radiologist to navigate orthogonal views,
visualize registration overlays, perform geometric and intensity
measurements, and examine the registration results using view
binding and 3D visualization software. The system also includes
specific algorithms for each imaging modality and registration
application, as well as manual, semi-automatic, and automatic
protocols for problems that may arise.
"Fusion7D represents a new platform paradigm upon which a wide
variety of visual and quantitative image analysis tools may be
offered to our customers and will be an import basis for strategic
partnerships as the company moves forward," said Peter E. Taylor,
vice president of business development for Mirada Solutions.
To date, the software has been integrated within both PACS and
individual imaging modalities, which was demonstrated at the 2001
meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Mirada
recently announced that Hitachi Medical Systems America Inc.
(Tustin, CA) has chosen Fusion7D for its new PET imaging
workstation, AVIA. The software will be used to fuse AVIA PET
images with other functional and anatomical modalities, including
CT and MRI.
"Hitachi has taken the lead by providing a true multi-modal
platform for integrating PET imaging with the general radiology
environment, adding tremendous clinical utility to their PET
system," noted Christian Behrenbruch, PhD, vice president of
product development at Mirada.
"Fusion7D offers our customers a more powerful, flexible, and
cost-effective fusion imaging solution than hybrid PET/CT systems,"
said Bill Bishop, director of business development at Hitachi. "It
enables them to take full advantage of existing imaging equipment
and fits seamlessly into clinical environments where multiple
imaging modalities need to be incorporated into the diagnostic
workflow."
News from AHRA
Misys highlights RIS--
Misys Healthcare Systems (Tucson, AZ) showcased the latest version
of their radiology information system (RIS), Misys Radiology, at
the 2002 annual meeting of the American Healthcare Radiology
Administrators (AHRA) held July 28 through August 1 in New
Orleans.
"This year's AHRA conference in an excellent forum for Misys to
demonstrate our commitment to the Misys Radiology product line as a
key system within our clinical information suite," said Andrew
Lawson, chief operating officer at Misys Healthcare Systems. The
company highlighted several new features and enhancements.
New PACS integration options include worklist management,
automatic reconciliation of DICOM header information, automatic
routing and pre-fetching, and determination and routing of relevant
previous exams. The system also includes Talk Technology
TalkStation voice integration that allows users to dictate and
transcribe reports in a single step. With a single log-on,
radiologists will be able to access various exams, review and edit
text, and approve documents with a digital signature. The Proxy
Signature Support allows multiple radiologists to review and
approve patient reports and lets system administrators determine
the proper waiting period before report advancement to secondary
level review. Finally, the system automates the process of
insurance pre-authorization by allowing the association of
authorization requirements to be tied for exams and insurers.
Lawson notes that these innovations "can help optimize radiology
workflow efficiencies, resulting in increased cost savings and
improved patient care for our clients."
Kodak ships 20,000th dry laser printer--
Eastman Kodak (Rochester, NY) announced that they had recently
shipped their 20,000th dry laser imager. The DryView product line,
launched in 1995, includes direct-to-modality and networked
printers.
"Our products are fourth-generation devices with sophisticated
technology," said Dan Bartlett, business manager for laser imaging
systems. "Our DryView laser imagers and film have been optimized
based on input from thousands of customers around the world, and we
continue to incorporate customer suggestions into our new
generations of film and imagers."
FujiFilm previews digital mammography system--
FujiFilm Medical Systems USA, Inc. (Stamford, CT) featured their
full-field digital mammography system, the FCR 5000MA and announced
that they recently shipped their 200th international order.
"Full-field digital mammography will become the world's leading
breast cancer detection technology," predicted Bill Cioffi,
national marketing manager, women's healthcare imaging systems at
Fuji.
The FCR 5000MA is a multi-room, multi-task single plate image
reader that includes 50-micron resolution for imaging plate sizes
used in mammography and dual-side image plate reading capabilities.
Clinical trials are under way in the United Sates and the company
expects to receive FDA marketing clearance in the second half of
2003.
R2 Technology showcases ImageChecker
R2 Technology, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) announced that they have
recently received their 500th order for the ImageChecker
computer-aided detection (CAD) system. The company estimates that,
to date, the system has been used to assist in the analysis of more
than 4 million mammograms.
The National Institutes of Health report that the 5-year
survival rate for patients whose breast cancer is diagnosed at
Stage 0 or I is 95%. For those diagnosed at Stage III, the survival
rate drops to 36%, and when the cancer is not detected until after
it has spread to surrounding tissue, the 5-year survival rate drops
to just 7%.
"Regular mammograms are a woman's best option for detecting
breast cancer," notes Ken Miller, executive vice president of
worldwide sales and marketing at R2. "With the addition of the
ImageChecker, even greater steps can be taken to help ensure this
life-threatening disease is caught at it earliest possible
stage."
BarcoView introduces digital mammography
workstation
In other breast imaging news, BarcoView (Kortrijk, Belgium)
recently introduced the MammoMedis display systems and the
MammoDesk ergonomic workstation for digital mammography. This
dedicated version of the company's 5MP display systems was designed
to provide fast and flexible image access and consistent image
quality.
To address the specific needs of digital mammography, the system
bundles high-resolution MGD greyscale displays, high-performance
BarcoMed imaging boards, and the MediCal softcopy quality assurance
management software. The imaging boards are outfitted with the
company's proprietary AURA technology for ultra-fast image loading
and feature a unique architecture with multiples real-time
windowing/leveling tables, allowing for the simultaneous handling
of multiple images. The 10-bit driving scheme displays 1024
simultaneous greyscales.
An optional external sensor and the MediCal Pro image
conformance and consistency software can be used to check the
quality and consistency of images automatically and to correct for
phosphor degradation in case the system's results differ from the
reference values. The MediCal QA software tracks and records the
consistency of each individual display.