|
Home
> News
> Press Releases
Ascension
and CIMIT to Show New Minimally
Invasive Tools at Major Gastrointestinal
Conference
BURLINGTON, VERMONT; March
30, 2005: Ascension Technology
and the Center for Integration
of Medicine and Innovative
Technology (CIMIT)
have developed a new medical
imaging tool that gives a
surgeon a 3D roadmap of the
anatomy for performing pancreatic
and liver interventions.
The device, called IRLUS
(Image Registered
Laparoscopic
Ultrasound
System),
provides a new way to visualize,
in 3D, pancreatic and liver
landmarks and stage cancers
in these organs. Prior to
IRLUS, it was difficult for
clinicians to use minimally
invasive laparoscopic ultrasound
to identify pancreatic structures
and vessels. Limited acoustic
windows and constrained probe
movements hampered easy identification.
IRLUS solves the problem by
combining real-time laparoscopic
ultrasound images with preoperative
CT data. The surgeon can now
clearly see a 3D rendering
of the ultrasound image plane
overlaid on a patient’s segmented
anatomy.
IRLUS consists of a laparoscopic
transducer and a surgical
pointing device, both of which
are tracked in real-time by
Ascension’s 1.8 mm wide microBIRD
sensors and a laptop computer.
Visualization software running
on the laptop aligns preoperative
CT data with real- time laparoscopic
images to provide the physician
with spatial cues for correct
interpretation of the ultrasound
images.
|
microBIRD
sensor mounted near
tip of a laparoscopic
probe. It continuously
tracks the precise position
and orientation of the
probe tip in real time.
|
Recent research
has shown that IRLUS is a
helpful adjunct to many other
laparoscopic procedures, increasing
the ability of surgeons to
correctly identify anatomic
landmarks. It also improves
the efficiency of traditional
ultrasound, by displaying
real-time ultrasound images
in the context of preoperative
3D imaging.
The IRLUS system will be
exhibited at SAGES
(www.sages.org),
the annual conference of the
Society of American Gastrointestinal
Endoscopic Surgeons on April
14-17, 2005 in Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida.
The SAGES conference in 2005
will be co-located with the
annual Spring meetings of
the American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary
Association (AHPBA)
and the American College of
Surgeons (ACS).
Conference attendees are invited
to visit booth # 512 for a
hands-on opportunity to experience
the IRLUS system. Ascension
will also demonstrate its
newest microBIRD feature –
a flat transmitter that negates
the distorting effects of
carbon steel and iron alloys.
To date, these distorters
have limited the acceptance
and use of magnetic guidance
devices in medical imaging.
For more information about
Ascension (Burlington, VT)
visit www.ascension-tech.com.
For more information about
CIMIT (Cambridge, MA), visit
www.cimit.org.
The two organizations are
presently collaborating in
the development of medical
imaging and simulation systems
using pulsed DC magnetic guidance
and localization as the enabling
technology.
--END—
Back to Top |
