Fetal spine and thorax in campomelic dysplasia. The original, unenhanced image appears on the left. Notice the contrast and edge enhancement in the GOPiCE enhanced image on the right, compare the to traditional 2D enhanced image in the center.
April 1, 2009 – At the 2009 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) Annual Convention this week, ContextVision is set to release the GOPiCE US, reportedly the first real-time volumetric filtering software for ultrasound.
The image enhancement product filters the 3D ultrasound volumes, aiming to remove speckle and other artifacts, while simultaneously extending the clinician’s vision to planes previously hidden.
GOPiCE offers clinicians the ability to see areas never seen before, such as the regions of the fetal brain previously hidden by speckle and noise in 2D and unenhanced 3D ultrasound images. The visualization achieved using GOPiCE will ultimately lead to improved diagnostic value, according to the company. Additionally, GOPiCE minimizes processing time: it leverages the speed of graphics processing units (GPUs), processing up to 24 volumes per second at 128 by 128 by 128 pixels or 40 volumes in single planar reconstruction mode.
“Until now, ultrasound technologies have limited our ability to thoroughly assess an image,” said professor Anders Selbing, M.D., of the Center for Fetal Medicine at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden. “GOPiCE delivers the capability to see past the noise in an image by providing real-time volumetric filtering. Ultimately, the image enhancement technology allows us to offer patients a greater value.”
Like all ContextVision products, GOPiCE US relies on an adaptive algorithm, GOP, which mimics the human eye’s method of finding information and analyzing structures. This enables the software to distinguish between true and false information (e.g. noise, artifacts) and accurately identify true structures.
For more information: www.contextvision.com