With the advent of open computing, many of today's medical systems use PCs and workstations to compute image data. Medical OEMs have been quick to take advantage of such systems, with the introduction of DICOM-compliant OEM software that provides the end user with additional medical imaging functionality. This month we take a look at some of these software packages and how they are being used to enhance medical-imaging systems.
Medical visualization
www.vitalimages.com
Vital Images (Minneapolis, MN), a developer of medical-visualization software and systems, develops products that provide clinicians with the ability to view and control 2-D and 3-D views of computed-tomography and magnetic-resonance data. Based on proprietary visualization software and display techniques involving volume rendering, these products, including Vitrea 2, Vscore, and VoxelView, are described on the company's Web site, along with testimonials, sample images, and case studies.
Software for researchers
www.ablesw.com
On the Web site of Able Software (Lexington, MA) you'll find a description of the company's 3D-Doctor—3D imaging software for researchers performing MRI, CT, and microscopy applications. Capable of creating 3-D surface and volume rendering from 2-D cross-section images in minutes on low-cost PCs, the software is being used by MIT, Johns Hopkins University, and SUNY Buffalo Imaging Center. As well as detailing the functions of the software, this site includes a tutorial, FAQ list, 3-D discussion group, company news, and numerous examples of the software in action.
DICOM compliant
www.desacc.com
The Web site of DesAcc (Chicago, IL) features products that range from desktop applications and DICOM software libraries to components that can be integrated into OEM and enterprisewide systems. These include EchoAccess, a utility providing movie and image creation for HP ultrasound echocardiography; Digital Jacket, which enables Macs or PCs to receive DICOM images over a network; and DICOMaccess, which allows Adobe Photoshop to open any DICOM file.
Application development
www.isgtec.com
Available for both Windows NT and UNIX operating systems, the Image Application Package (IAP) from Cedara (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) allows OEMs to develop medical-imaging application products. On this site, there are descriptions of the IAP along with VR SoftView, VR SoftStore, and Silhouette—viewing and reading, image management, and postprocessing software. In addition, you'll find information on the company's custom engineering and support services and DICOM conformance statements.
Three-dimensional ultrasound
www.nextd.com
Based on three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound-imaging methods, a family of clinical cardiology software products from Next Dimension Imaging (Longmont, CO) is described on this site. Highlighted products include the NDI Plane Reconstruction Engine, a software subsystem that provides interactive plane reconstruction based on nonvolumetric 3-D data, a GraphicView toolkit that allows visualization of static or dynamic objects, and the Advanced Frame Interface Software Development Kit, a software subsystem for multidimensional image management.
Viewing and communicating
www.accusoft.com
Adding DICOM compliance and medical imaging to your application is the aim of a number of tools from AccuSoft (Westborough, MA). These include tools designed for DICOM image viewing/processing, DICOM communication, and Web-enabled DICOM imaging. Of special interest is the company's Medical Imaging Software Developer's Kit.
