Next-Generation 3D Software Applications Developed for SPECT/CT System

A new single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) application benefits the clinician by providing improved clarity and helping to manage large amounts of data more effectively by providing an accurate, interactive, three-dimensional- (3D)-rendered fused image of an entire nuclear medicine study.

GE Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, UK) launched the company's next-generation applications to expand the capabilities of the company's SPECT/CT system called Infinia Hawkeye 4. The new software applications, offered as the Volumetrix Suite, were presented June 14-18, 2008, at the 55th annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, held in New Orleans, LA, USA.

"Only GE brings the power of 3C [for clarity, choice, and convenience] imaging to nuclear medicine with Volumetrix Suite. Volumetrix 3D (three-dimensional) produces integrated, three-dimensional fused images within the nuclear medicine workflow, offering more clarity for more intuitive and faster interpretation,” said Gene Saragnese, vice president and general manager of molecular imaging for GE Healthcare. "Volumetrix IR offers clinicians the choice of virtually any CT to view registered to SPECT and PET data, together with automatic registration and easy export options.”

Volumetrix 3D's segmentation tools can help improve diagnostic accuracy by easily removing obstructions surrounding lesions and other areas of interest. Volumetrix 3D also offers a Clip and Cut Planes feature, which allows the anatomy to be "virtually sliced” to show the underlying cross-section of CT, nuclear, or fused slices. The software presents a visual abstract of the exam very quickly and comprehensively for use by the referring physician or surgeon.

Volumetrix IR offers clinicians the choice of registering virtually any CT to the Infinia SPECT data, within the nuclear medicine workflow. This feature eliminates the need for patients to undergo a redundant full-dose CT exam during a SPECT acquisition by using the Hawkeye CT as a guide to register an external CT to the Infinia SPECT data. Volumetrix IR is designed to offer a balanced solution for today's challenging healthcare economic environment. By offering registration of virtually any CT with Infinia Hawkeye 4 data, Volumetrix IR presents the clinician with more choices while minimizing ownership costs.

With the Volumetrix Suite, follow-up scans are made easier as Volumetrix IR aligns two exams, helping to ensure accurate monitoring of the patient's condition. Three-dimensional rendered images created by Volumetrix 3D are easily exported into a variety of formats including .jpg files for easy sharing with referring physicians, surgeons, and the patients themselves.

"Volumetrix is a tremendous step forward in helping our customers prepare for the next frontier in molecular imaging,” said Nathan Hermony, nuclear medicine general manager, GE Healthcare. "We believe that Volumetrix Suite will bring clinicians the power of three C imaging: clarity, choice, and convenience.”


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