Canon has launched a new high-end projector for medical (educational) use, the REALiS WUX4000 D Installation LCOS Projector. It features a DICOM Simulation mode that simulates the results of DICOM-compliant monitors for display of grayscale images on the big screen. The simulation mode offers 21 different levels of grayscale gradation (preset gamma adjustments). Other than that it has a Liquid Crystal on Silicon optical system, can be used with three different high-resolution interchangeable lenses for different throw distances and projection screen sizes, has a widescreen WUXGA-resolution (1920 x 1200), 4000 lumens and includes a built-in Canon Color-Correction integrated circuit. Inputs are fairly standard, with HDMI, DVI, VGA and audio inputs and additionally a network port for remote control. One final remark: despite the DICOM simulation mode, it is not approved for medical diagnosis. It will be available in March 2011, for a measly 9,999 dollars (plus tax, where applicable).
Press release: Canon U.S.A. Introduces First Installation LCOS Projector With DICOM Simulation Mode For Use In Medical Facilities…
Product page: REALiS WUX4000 D…
Archives: 11/2010
RSNA 2010: Fast Tomographic Data Processing Using Off-The-Shelf Graphics Cards
by on Nov 30, 2010 • 10:25 amReal Time Tomography is a company that develops image processing and reconstruction software for medical imaging systems that takes advantage of the horsepower packed into modern computer graphics cards. Instead of using general purpose CPUs to crunch the enormous data sets, NVIDIA’s Quadro GPUs are used instead to significantly speed up the process. Here’s Susan Ng, President and CEO of the company, demonstrating the technology (you might want to use headphones or turn up your speakers because of the peripheral noise from the conference in the recording):
Company page: Real Time Tomography…
WACOM has been building input tablets for various applications long before the arrival of the “touch generation.” At RSNA 2010 the company has been showing off some of its offerings that are applicable to the clinical world:
Link: WACOM Medical & Healthcare…
ConvaTec Announces Results of Study on Its Vitala Continence Control Device
by on Nov 30, 2010 • 8:45 am
ConvaTec has announced the results of a phase 2 study which verified the safety and efficacy of its Vitala continence control device. The Vitala device seals against a patient’s stoma to provide continence, and does not require the patient to wear an ostomy pouch, by storing stool (fæces) inside the body and permitting gasses to vent through an integrated, deodorizing filter. The study followed colostomy patients for 5 months, and found that use of the device resulted in no adverse effects to the stoma, and resulted in higher patient satisfaction than traditional pouch systems.
The multi-center Phase 2 clinical study evaluated the safety and efficacy of the device when worn up to 8 hours a day by individuals with an end colostomy. Participants in the study (n=25) were monitored across treatment stages: usual pouching (21 days), skin barrier transition (14 days), and device wear (107 days). Because Vitala™ CCD seals against the stoma, the study also evaluated stoma vascularity and microbiology.
After the study period of 142 days, results showed that there were no serious adverse events associated with wearing the device. Three participants reported adverse events that were considered related to device wear, none of which led to discontinuation from the study. Throughout the device wear stage, no changes to either stoma vascularity or gut microbiology were observed.
Press release: Phase 2 Clinical Study Demonstrates Safety and Efficacy of Vitala™ Continence Control Device…
Study Abstract at Diseases of the Colon & Rectum: Safety and Efficacy of a Novel Continence Device in Colostomy Patients
Flashback: ConvaTec’s Vitala Continence Control Device Receives FDA OK
Over the last couple of days we were lucky to bump into a few of our readers on the floor of RSNA. From that came the idea of organizing an informal meetup of others who are attending the conference. So, if you’re in Chicago and would like to take a break from equipment salesmen and the heavy scientific sessions, we’d like to invite you to join us at 1pm Chicago time by the wood tables near the Starbucks by the entrance to Hall B. Because of the tremendous size of RSNA, we made a quick video showing you exactly where we’ll be:
Most CTs and MRIs are done with the patient in a supine position, while some lower back problems only manifest while the patient is standing. To address this problem, DynaWell, a Las Vegas, NV based company, is demoing the L-Spine Compression device, which we tried out at RSNA.
The device is seemingly based on the same principle as the Russian space program’s “penguin suit.” DynaWell claims that after a several minute compression period the lower spine will be loaded much the same as it is while standing and will look similar in CT or MRI imaging. It is compatible with both modalities.
Product page: L-Spine Compression
At the RSNA 2010, Sectra has launched its Sectra Visualization Table, a product we first reported on well over a year ago. 
It consists of a 46-inch medical multi-touch display with full HD resolution built into a table frame, somewhat similar to Microsoft’s Surface technology but strictly for medical purposes. The table can be positioned both horizontally and vertically, and the interface is controlled using hand gestures. Multiple users can view and manipulate CT and MRI images and their 3D renderings. One possibility is to visualize different kinds of tissues and cut through sections with a virtual knife, seeing tissues layer by layer. Sectra foresees this table being used for planning care in multi-trauma cases and for forensic purposes, as a virtual autopsy table.
Demo video and links after the fold:
Canon Presents Its Wireless Digital Radiography System CXDI-70C at RSNA 2010
by on Nov 29, 2010 • 12:25 pm
Canon‘s new wireless cassette-size digital radiography sensor system, the CXDI-70C, is making an American debut at RSNA 2010. The 510(k) cleared device, profiled by us before, packs standard 14 x 17-inch image area and wireless transfer capabilities:
Weighing less than 8 pounds, the durable CXDI-70C Wireless DR System is easy to handle and has the same dimensions as a standard ISO 4090 film cassette and fits into existing Bucky trays. The 125-micron pixel pitch delivers high resolution images and increased spatial resolution as compared with the Company’s current 160-micron pixel pitch Digital Radiography systems. Depending upon the room in which the CXDI-70C Wireless DR System is used, the power can be managed so potential interference can be reduced and the signal strength may also be calibrated. The CXDI-70C Wireless DR System also incorporates a Cesium Iodide (CsI) scintillator, which delivers high-quality images while reducing the X-ray exposure to the patient.
Press release: Canon U.S.A. Showcases Its First Wireless Digital Radiography System at the 2010 RSNA Annual Meeting …
This week in Chicago is the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting. Possibly (by attendee count) the largest medical convention in the world, this year they expect to have near 60,000 people. Medgadget is attending and will bring you the news on the latest devices, imaging technologies, and yes, gadgets. And if you are attending RSNA, keep an eye out for Gene and Dan, our two on-site editors and if we meet enough readers we can try and organize a Medgadget Meetup (a separate post is coming up soon).
Our first day on the ground was a whirlwind of presentations and demos. Early on we talked to Eizo Nanao, makers of the RadiForce medical monitors. They showed us some of their new products, including “green” monitors that would power down if no one was sitting in front of them for a while, rather than activity of the mouse, a color monitor that they claimed was a bright as a monochrome one, and a variety of ways of calibrating the monitor to ambient light and hardware conditions.
Riverain Medical, who we have reported on before, showed off a cool combination of their SoftView and OnGuard software, called In Unison. SoftView is an enhanced imaging algorithm that can remove ribs from AP Chest Films through machine vision, OnGuard is a Chest film Computer Aided Detection (CAD) tool. In Unison is a logical combination of both, that uses CAD on enhanced films. In their talk with us, Riverain mentioned the recent early lung cancer detection study that got a lot of press. Riverain asked if their technology was used on the X-rays, would the rates of detection be higher? Sounds like a good study to us.
Display of 3D information is a big theme this meeting. We talked to a reader who works for Object Research System, a Montreal, Canada PACS/viewer software company. They drew us in with a glasses-free 3D display:
More from ORSVisual.com (Object Research Systems)…
Related press release: Object Research Systems (ORS) Receives FDA Clearance to Market ORS Visual™, the Most Affordable Advanced Visualization Software on the Market …
Flashback: Siemens Brings Together Magnetic Resonance and Positron Emission Tomography Into One Machine;
