EchoPixel, Mountain View, Calif, has launched True3D Viewer, a platform that converts anatomical data from patients into fully interactive, three-dimensional virtual reality images.
Developed with input from surgeons and radiologists across the country, True3D enables medical professionals and students to interact with patient-specific body parts in an open 3D space emanating from a desktop display. The True3D Viewer brings data from DICOM imaging and magnetic resonance and computed tomography scans to life, letting doctors examine and interact with anatomical structures in an intuitive and non-invasive way.
“Since CT scans were invented in the 1970s, doctors have learned about patient anatomy by mentally piecing together multiple images from flat screens,” said Ron Schilling, CEO of EchoPixel. “That’s not what the inside of a patient looks like. When working with doctors, we found they were wasting energy trying to solve imaging problems instead of clinical ones. Using virtual reality, we can provide an interactive, three-dimensional view of patient data that is far clearer and more realistic.”
“We’re taking virtual reality technology, the kind that’s previously been restricted to entertainment, and applying it to medicine,” said Sergio Aguirre, founder and CTO of EchoPixel. “This gives doctors a fully immersive, accurate representation of patient anatomy. The results we’re seeing, from trials with real patient data, have confirmed the urgent need for this kind of imaging in medicine.”
Frandics Chan, an associate professor of radiology at Stanford, has used the technology in preliminary clinical surgical planning trials for children with pulmonary atresia with major aortopulmonary collateral arteries. Detection sensitivity has increased, while interpretation time has decreased. “Every patient is unique. I would previously have to verbally describe the path to the surgeon, but that’s not adequate,” Chan said. “EchoPixel presents an opportunity to see the world, and the pathology of the patient, as it is.”
With proprietary protocols, EchoPixel can formulate and distribute expert-derived methodologies for surgical and radiological procedures, in a richly annotated 3D format. As a result, medical professionals can share information, collaborate, and leverage best practices for particular procedures. In addition, patients will be able to obtain a clearer and more realistic understanding of their own anatomy.
For more information, visit EchoPixel.
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