Visualization and virtualization
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| Mary Stevens, editor, CMIO |
This report looked at the market for commercial virtual reality technologies in four application areas, including medical data visualization, such as multi-modality image fusion, advanced image reconstruction, pre-operative planning and advanced analytical software tools.
One of the reasons that robust growth is expected in the VR software arena that Kalorama cites is that hospitals already have the foundational technology in place to utilize virtual reality—namely, long-term investments in radiology department IT (such as RIS) and interdepartmental PACS. VR capabilities including advanced image navigation, multi-modality image fusion and medical imaging and reconstruction. Driving this adoption will be the increasing number of clinicians who are expected to use these capabilities in the regular course of patient care.
In addition, new advanced visualization technologies are coming to mobile devices, with regulatory approval. Within in the past month:
- Hologic received approval from the FDA for its Selenia Dimensions 3D digital breast tomosynthesis system;
- TomTec Imaging Systems announced that it had received FDA clearance for its 4D MV-Assessment 2.0 software, which uses 3D echocardiography for mitral valve analysis; and
- Medipattern got the FDA nod for Visualize:Vascular, which is designed to quantify image data by segmenting and measuring regions of interest in vessels. The technology is based on Medipattern’s Cadenza algorithm platform, expanding it from breast imaging to vascular imaging and incorporating 3D reconstruction of segmented regions of interest.
More mobile visualization apps are on the horizon: Fujifilm Medical Systems showcased its Synapse Mobility, a not-yet-FDA-approved work in progress that seeks to enable remote access to Synapse products for medical image display from handheld mobile devices as well as PCs at the recent 2011 annual Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) meeting.
HIMSS was also the setting for GE Healthcare to show its Centricity Imaging Mobile Access for PACS. Pending FDA approval, the app will enable users to view PACS images and reports from an Apple or Android smartphone or tablet.
As these visualization, virtualization and increasingly mobilized technologies converge, will they enable practitioners to realize the ultimate goal of better patient care? Let me know what you think.
Mary Stevens
Editor of CMIO
mstevens@cmio.net