Joint Venture in Image-Guided Surgery

An agreement to work collaboratively on products and services in image-guided surgery and surgical planning has been announced by Vital Images, Inc. (Plymouth, MN, USA) and Surgical Navigation Technologies (SNT), a division of Medtronic (Minneapolis, MN, USA). The visualization technology of Vital Images will be integrated into SNT's image-guided surgery products. Also, the two companies will work together on new surgical planning software.

The companies say the ability to visualize a procedure increases surgeons' confidence and precision in the use of surgical instruments, decreasing operative time and the potential for complications. The first step made by the new joint venture will be to integrate the volume-rendering technology of Vital Images into SNT's StealthStation, Treon, and Landmarx brands. Next, Vital Images will develop a visualization product for use by surgeons in the operating room, to be sold by SNT through its sales channels.

"We have identified surgical planning, in addition to disease screening and diagnostic imaging, as an area of strategic focus for us,” said Albert Emola, president and CEO of Vital Images. "We believe this partnership will facilitate the formation of a medical advisory board of key radiologists and surgeons who can assist in the development of products for this new market area.”




Related Links:
Vital Images
Medtronic