Visitors to the Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting in Chicago, Nov. 28-Dec. 2, saw the company’s latest innovations designed to enhance visualisation and improve workflow and dose efficiency, enabling interventional radiologists to see their way clearly when performing procedures addressing vascular diseases.
According to the American Heart Association, peripheral arterial disease affects about 8 million Americans and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. And based on current epidemiologic projections, 27 million people in Europe and North America have the disease.
The most common procedures performed to treat peripheral arterial disease involve inserting guidewires and catheters into the patient’s circulatory system for angioplasty and stenting. More and more, complex interventions such as aortic aneurysm are treated with endoscopic methods. Just a few years ago, these procedures were done almost exclusively with X-ray fluoroscopy alone, while the physician injected contrast materiel to see the vessel that was being treated.
Today, images of the vessels taken with CT or MR and processed into 3D image data can provide both precise measurements of the vessels for planning and a clear map of the vessel anatomy. Combined with new applications offered by interventional x-ray systems, this is having a profound impact on how vascular procedures are performed.
GE Healthcare Interventional Systems provide a portfolio of solutions to address the needs in the interventional vascular disease management. The solutions range from X-ray imaging systems to advanced applications tailored for the specific vascular disease state needs.
The Innova 4100IQ is a comprehensive X-ray imaging solution that gives interventional radiologists the tools they need to take image-based diagnosis and minimally invasive therapy to a higher level. Well suited for a wide range of procedures including peripheral, oncological and neurological imaging, the systems are infused with advanced software applications that not only provide precise anatomical detail, but also help simplify and expedite even the most complex and challenging diagnostic and interventional procedures. Innova 4100IQ has one of the largest detectors in the industry, which is a key advantage for complex endovascular procedures. Innova’s inherently dose efficient technology, dose reduction features and dose management tools help protect patients and physicians from radiation exposure without compromising the image quality physicians need to make confident decisions during interventional procedures. Independent studies have shown that patient case doses using Innova systems were 22-34% lower compared to the other flat panel detector systems tested.
The GE Advantage Workstation VolumeShare is a multi-modality platform that takes image visualisation and analysis to a new level of understanding and efficiency. Its unique Integrated Registration feature, crucial for vascular procedures, registers and fuses 3D anatomical and functional images from Innova, CT, MR, PET and SPECT, providing complementary information to plan guide and assess interventional procedures. Processing, integration and image overlay are achieved on a single workstation, with a single convenient user interface.
Innova Vision is an advanced application that allows physicians to dynamically overlay 3D models from Innova, CT or MR on top of 2D fluoroscopic images. The fusion is automatically maintained whenever the physician moves the C-arm or the table, bringing procedure workflow and confidence to a new level. Dedicated rendering and fusion algorithms provide optimal simultaneous visualisation of both 2D X-ray and 3D information. Innova Vision is able to overlay multiple 3D models on the same fluoro image, which is of particular interest for complex Endovascular Aortic Repair procedures.
“Thanks to excellent visualisation of the 3D model in fluoro, we have a better understanding of the 3D anatomy and where we are going – we see exactly where we are at all times,” said Thierry de Baere, Institut Gustave Roussy (IGR), Villejuif, France.
Innova Vision includes the patented BackView Display, which allows the users to visualise the vessels or structures that are occluded by other vessels or structures. Users can simply rotate the 3D images by 180° to visualise either the front view or the back view of vascular anatomy, instead of re-acquiring the image after 180 degree of C-arm rotation. It is particularly useful when navigating through complex arterial trees and is of particular relevance for complex stenting interventions.
Vessel Tracking on Innova 3D Volumes enables fast tracking of the vessels centerline and display of lumen, curved, and cross section views. These views are optimal for visualisation of plaque and for measurement of vessel length and diameter.
