New chest X-ray technology enhances lung nodule detection

Nov 30 2010

Riverain Medical, an industry leader and innovator in computer-aided detection (CAD) and advanced visualization technologies, today announced its SoftView® Enhanced Chest Imaging and OnGuard™ Chest X-ray Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) technologies can now integrate In Unison™ for improved workflow and enhanced lung nodule detection. Demonstrations of the software integration will be available at Riverain Medical booth #5200 at Radiology Society of North America's (RSNA) 96^th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting now underway at McCormick Place in Chicago.

“By combining the detection capabilities of OnGuard with SoftView's bone suppression technology, detecting lung cancer in its earliest stages has never been easier.”

Using SoftView and OnGuard together offers exceptional visualization of chest X-rays, without interrupting workflow. SoftView analyzes the chest X-ray to produce a bone suppressed soft tissue image for improved clarity. Suppressing the bone on a chest X-ray allows approximately 40 percent of the lungs to be visualized that are typically obscured by the bone. OnGuard identifies solitary pulmonary nodules that may be lung cancer and can detect up to 50 percent of missed lung cancers. The technologies are automatically presented In Unison as a SoftView image with OnGuard CAD markings, without interrupting workflow. Displaying this integrated image is as easy as the click of a mouse.

The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) results announced in November 2010 demonstrate for the first time that early detection of lung cancer can save lives. Riverain Medical's OnGuard and SoftView Enhanced Chest Imaging technologies are uniquely designed to detect nodules that may be early-stage lung cancer without the high radiation dose and cost of a CT scan.

"Thanks to advancements in new technology, chest X-rays are becoming more effective and practical for detecting lung cancer in its earliest stages," said Diane Hirakawa, CEO and chairman of Riverain Medical. "By combining the detection capabilities of OnGuard with SoftView's bone suppression technology, detecting lung cancer in its earliest stages has never been easier."

"Radiologists have seconds to review a chest X-ray. SoftView and OnGuard together offer exceptional visualization of chest X-rays, without interrupting workflow," said Steve Worrell, chief technology officer of Riverain Medical. "With a click of a mouse, radiologists can now view the OnGuard CAD marks on the SoftView bone suppressed image."

Both technologies use an existing digital chest X-ray, therefore there is no additional radiation dose, patient procedure, hardware or stand-alone workstation needed to integrate the technology into any radiology department. Additionally, SoftView features universal PACs connectivity and integrates seamlessly into any digital radiology department. The SoftView and OnGuard image is immediately available for display on the existing PACS viewer.