Computer vision software is continuing to give new eyes to radiologists, improving their ability to spot critical structures on images. GE Healthcare has just unveiled two new applications for use in interventional procedures that point out vasculature near a liver tumor during embolizations and for Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) to better see the path of vascular flow.
FlightPlan for Liver is an easy-to-use, powerful application that helps the radiologist to plan and perform liver embolization. With FlightPlan, the success rate in detecting tumor-feeding vessels is 93 percent, as compared to 64 percent and 73 percent when using 2D and 3D review respectively.[2]
FlightPlan works by first constructing in 3D the vascular tree from a selected starting point in the hepatic artery. Then, the radiologist selects the tumor area. In a single click, FlightPlan automatically extracts the vessels in the vicinity of the tumor and displays them with color-coding for easy visualization. With this information, the radiologist can more easily identify the tumor-feeding vessels and be more selective when planning the embolization. This plan can then be used during the interventional radiology procedure using Innova Vision, where it becomes a real-time roadmap superimposed on fluoroscopy to simplify navigation.
The new AngioViz application provides a new visualization of the vascular flow seen in DSA imaging called parametric imaging. It determines for each pixel the time it takes to reach peak opacification and the peak value of opacification. These two parameters can be displayed as separate images or combined in several ways in a single color-coded image.
This enables doctors to perceive both temporal and contrast intensity information in a single image, in addition to reviewing the whole temporal DSA sequence to see the information. In addition, AngioViz allows easy comparison of parametric images from different DSA acquisitions, such as pre- and post-treatment images, or right and left cerebral hemisphere images. This can help physicians understand the impact on flow dynamics of various interventional treatments.
Press release: GE Healthcare Announces Two New Vascular Visualization Software Applications for Interventional Procedures at ECR…