|
Manchester Visualization Centre Bases Clinical Tool for Aneurysm Analysis
on AVS/Express Visualization Software
Non-invasive software environment will help surgeons determine best course
of treatment for dangerous brain aneurysms
Advanced Visual Systems Inc. announced today that a new endovascular
surgery planning tool has been created by the Manchester Visualization
Centre (MVC) using AVS/Express data visualization software.
The MVC's custom software combines advanced visualization
techniques with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to allow
non-invasive, pre-surgical analysis of aneurysms.
The MVC chose AVS/Express for this project because of its rapid user-interface development
environment, provision of advanced visualization methods and cross-platform compatibility.
"AVS/Express allowed us to present an initial working version of the software
in less than four weeks," said James Perrin, Research Associate at MVC.
Brain hemorrhages, a leading cause of sudden death among adolescents
and young adults, often result from the rupture of an aneurysm,
a small, thin-walled protuberance caused by pressure build-up
in an artery. One new treatment, currently under evaluation,
involves packing the aneurysm with platinum by means of a
small tube or catheter run through the femoral artery and
into the brain. The platinum promotes clotting and eventual
healing of the aneurysm without brain surgery.
A major difficulty of this technique, however, is accurate assessment
of the aneurysm's shape and origin, which is crucial for specifying
the packing. Current assessment procedures pose their own
dangers to the patient in the form of radiation and increased
pressure within the artery. ESP addresses this problem as
a non-invasive, easy-to-use assessment tool.
"Clinicians don't have time to learn difficult or poorly designed software,
and they shouldn't have to," Perrin commented. "With AVS/Express, we were able
to build a professional and intuitive application that allowed them to
immediately visualize their data."
AVS/Express' support for Linux, along with 3D hardware acceleration, means
that ESP can handle heavy graphics demands - specifically, the isosurfaces
generated from a 512x512x100 volume - on an affordable desktop machine. ESP,
like AVS/Express, also runs under the Windows operating system.
The MVC received funding for the work from The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable
Trust, which was founded in 1964 and provides grants for medical research and
humanitarian purposes.
About Advanced Visual Systems
Advanced Visual Systems (AVS) provides industry-leading, interactive
data visualization software and solutions that help business,
scientific and engineering users gain critical insight from
all types of data. AVS' complete line of software products
speeds decision-making by bringing information to life using
the latest in graphics, Web-based and interactive technologies
on all major computing platforms. For more information on
AVS call 781-890-4300, write to info@avs.com.
|
