Press Releases Home > News > Press Releases microBIRD Now Works with Cedara’s Medical Visualization Tools BURLINGTON, VERMONT; October 27, 2005: Ascension Technology, developer of 3D guidance devices for minimally invasive procedures, and Cedara Software, a Merge Healthcare company (Nasdaq: MRGE; TSX: MRG) and leading medical software provider, have integrated their hardware and software products into a powerful new imaging platform. The result is ideally suited for clinicians engaged in research in interventional radiology and for companies developing new interventional procedures. The above screen shot shows how a combination of imaging, visualization and targeting tools guide the insertion of a surgical tool into a patient for diagnosis and therapy. In each of the four shown Viewports, a physician can see the intrabody path of the instrument. The red lines show instrument trajectory above the plane of the target; broken blue lines show trajectory below the plane. The image in the lower right Viewport is the 3D image; the other images show three orthogonal slices of the same 3D volume. Working independently, Ascension and Cedara have developed complementary products for 3D guidance and visualization of medical instruments. The integration of these products now enables clinical researchers and device developers to solve the visual targeting problem with a simple to use technology combination. The system provides volume capture, 3D visualization with intervention targeting, and live navigation modes. Importantly, it also works “out of the box” allowing researchers to focus on clinical development. Developed by Ascension, microBIRD’s miniaturized sensors are embedded in medical instruments for guidance to targets inside the human body. Low cost disposable sensors are now available for such use. With widths of just 1.3 mm and smaller, microBIRD sensors easily fit into needles, probes and catheters. Third generational improvements in magnetic transducers and signal processing techniques now enable microBIRD to overcome metal and noise issues that once limited applicability in minimally invasive procedures. "The combination of Ascension's microBIRD devices with Cedara's navigation software forms a great platform that researchers and companies can use as an advanced starting-point to rapidly create interventional applications," stated Chris Barlow, Cedara's Director of Business Development. "We would be delighted to speak with people about the software needs of specific applications, and how solutions might be quickly turned into products and brought to market through Cedara's Technology Partnership Program". Cedara’s visualization software suite is a collection of 2D and 3D software plug-ins that lets clinicians rapidly and easily view anatomical structures. The software is capable of real-time rendering of pre-acquired images, such as CT and PET scans, and real-time images, such as ultrasound. It includes tools for volume rendering, 3D segmentation and multiplanar formatting of images. Jack Scully, Ascension’s Vice President of New Business Development, stated, “The integration of positional data and image scans in a 3D visual display provides clinicians with a powerful new minimally invasive tool. Cedara’s visualization software sews the pieces together in one elegant targeting solution.” Numerous medical procedures for integrated solutions are presently under investigation or in development. Frequently sited minimally invasive procedures include: ablation of lesions, deployment of devices and delivery of therapeutic agents. Ascension is a leading 3D tracking company specializing in guidance and navigation hardware products for image-guided diagnosis and intervention. The company has a twenty-year track record of core competency in its field with over 10,000 tracking devices sold worldwide. In recent years, its miniaturized sensors have become key enabling components in the development of image-guided procedures. Once incorporated into regulatory-approved medical system, its pulsed DC magnetic tracking technology enables a physician to navigate through the body using three-dimensional images as a guide. Cedara is a Merge Healthcare company focused on the development of custom engineered software applications and development tools for the medical imaging OEM and International markets. Cedara software is deployed in hospitals and clinics worldwide and is licensed by many of the world's leading medical device and healthcare information technology companies. Cedara technologies and expertise span all the major digital imaging modalities including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), digital X-ray, mammography, ultrasound, echo-cardiology, angiography, nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography (PET) and fluoroscopy. Cedara medical imaging offerings are used in all aspects of clinical imaging workflow including the capture of a patient's digital image; the archiving, communication and manipulation of digital images; sophisticated clinical applications to analyze digital images; and the use of imaging in minimally-invasive surgery. More information about Ascension is available at www.ascension-tech.com or call Trish Scott at 802-893-6657, ext 34. For more information about Cedara, visit www.cedara.com or call Chris Barlow at 905-672-2100, ext 2230. - end -- For Immediate Release Contact: Jack Scully (802) 893-6657 or e-mail: jscully@ascension-tech.com Back to Top