January 3, 2017 — MIM Software Inc. announced in November the commercial introduction of its MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) Prostate Fusion Software as a fully integrated software on BK Ultrasound’s premium bk3000 ultrasound system. The global launch of this solution for prostate biopsy, bkFusion, was developed in partnership between the companies.
bkFusion is built on MIM Software’s multi-modality image fusion capabilities. In creating bkFusion, MIM Software leveraged its patented Predictive Fusion technology for MRI prostate fusion during biopsy. Predictive Fusion “reslices” and pre-aligns the MRI images to correspond to the prostate’s orientation during the biopsy and then fuses them to the ultrasound images at the time of biopsy, saving time during the procedure. This advancement in MRI targeting assists the practitioner in achieving a higher prostate cancer detection rate when compared to traditional ultrasound-only transrectal biopsy. Patients will benefit from a more accurate and reliable biopsy when prostate cancer is present.
The bkFusion solution, consisting of the bk3000 ultrasound system along with the E14C4t Prostate Triplane transducer, will provide an MRI Fusion Biopsy System with the smallest footprint in the industry, according to the companies. The bk3000 fits easily into any office space and because bkFusion is completely integrated on the ultrasound system, no additional bulky equipment or setup time is required. The system communicates easily with radiology departments, accessing the MRI images via picture archiving and communication system (PACS) or a secure cloud platform. Alternatively, with the BK Flex Focus ultrasound product line, BK Ultrasound will offer a laptop-based bkFusion application. Both the integrated application and laptop version will provide the same user interface, workflow and reporting.
MIM will continue to develop and distribute its MIM Symphony Dx advanced MRI prostate visualization and analysis software for radiologists. Software features include prostate MRI review, linking, contouring and reporting capabilities. MIM Symphony Dx includes tools for quantitative longitudinal analysis, linking of biopsy results and locations with MR, and sophisticated reporting. MIM Symphony Dx and bkFusion share a common platform and will allow seamless communication either directly, via MIMcloud, or through external drives.
BK Ultrasound will distribute bkFusion for use with its bk3000 and Flex Focus ultrasound systems in the United States. BK Ultrasound has undertaken registration globally and will distribute the solutions through its global network.
For more information: www.mimsoftware.com