IT Application Provides Single Imaging Modality Registration

Answering the need of reading radiologists to compare single modality as well as multi-modality images, a new application will allow for single modality registration for follow-up studies (computed tomography [CT]/CT, magnetic resonance [MR]/MR), multi-modality fusion for anatomic studies (CT/MR), or a combination of anatomic and physiologic studies (tracers in positron emission topography [PET] images). The system will be ideally suited for non-invasive diagnosis and surgical treatment planning.

The Impax Registration and Fusion, developed by Agfa HealthCare (Mortsel, Belgium), was shown for the first time at the European Congress of Cardiology (ECR) 2007, held in Vienna, Austria, on March 9, 2007. This work in progress product is part of the Advanced Clinical Applications suite of Impax.

Agfa HealthCare's Advanced Clinical Applications, integrated into Impax, aim to provide point-of-care access to such applications as three-dimensional (3D) x-ray angio analysis, computer-aided detection (CAD), virtual colonoscopy, and nuclear medicine. Healthcare providers today feel the pressure to provide higher quality, faster service, better outcome, results distribution to referrals, and increased customer satisfaction. Advanced workflow information technology (IT) systems, such as Impax Clinical Applications that will integrate into their environments, supports them in reaching those goals.

Impax Clinical Applications provide a tighter integration in Agfa HealthCare's PACS (picture archiving and communication system) platform than what is typically available with third-party integrations. This leads to increased productivity and breaks down the barriers that impede the workflow. The system supports healthcare providers to focus on the patient instead of on interoperability concerns--so often seen in non-integrated situations, such as non-integrated modality workstations. The various modules of Impax Clinical Applications bring several sophisticated clinical applications into the single Impax desktop. The advantages include a single log on, single system, and Agfa HealthCare's service and support. These benefits allow radiologists and other clinicians to perform complex image processing without having to go to a specialized workstation.

"With Impax Clinical Applications, radiologists will only need to learn one new application, namely Impax, as the Clinical Applications modules are tightly integrated into the Impax system,” said Guy Klaassen, global clinical applications product line manager. "The various modules will conveniently put information into one place for radiologists, so that they can make informed decisions for their patients exactly when it is needed: at the point of diagnosis.”


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