A Medical Device Daily

Medicsight (London), a developer of CAD and image analysis software that assists in the early detection and diagnosis of disease, launched ColonCAD API 4.0, the latest version of its computer-aided detection software, at ECR.

The software is designed to assist radiologists in the detection of colorectal polyps in CT colonography image data. Version 4.0 includes what the company termed "a significant increase in the performance of the polyp detection algorithm, reducing the number of false positive CAD marks displayed for each patient case."

David Burling, MD, consultant gastrointestinal radiologist and VC program director at St. Mark's Hospital (London), said, "We welcome this latest improvement to Medicsight's ColonCAD product. CAD is now an integral part of our reading strategy in routine clinical practice. It improves interpretation accuracy and is complimentary to workflow."

Internal testing on a dataset of 91 patient cases showed that the ColonCAD API 4.0 maintains the same high levels of sensitivity to the previous version but displays a 50% reduction in false positives, with the CAD now returning a mean of 6.5 false positive marks per patient case.

Medicsight said the patient data used in this testing "remained independent from the development of the CAD and have been endoscopically validated and reviewed by a panel of radiologists to determine the ground truth against which the CAD performance was assessed."

CEO Allan Rowley said, "Previous research has shown Medicsight's ColonCAD significantly improves the performance of radiologists in the detection of polyps in CT colonography image data. The reduction in the numbers of false positives returned by our latest version of CAD is expected to further improve the performance of radiologists, by reducing the number of CAD marks which must be assessed when reviewing a patient dataset."

ColonCAD API 4.0 has been CE-marked and will be available for sale in Europe through Medicsight's network of partners.

Medicsight is a subsidiary of MGT Capital Investments (New York).

Also at ECR:

• Confirma (Belleview, Washington), pioneer of CADstream, a dedicated CAD [computer-aided detection] operating system for MRI, and Medrad (Indianola, Pennsylvania), a global provider of medical devices and services for diagnostic imaging, reported that they have partnered to advance patient care in the European Union.

The companies announced at the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna, Austria, that they have signed an agreement that enables Medrad to sell the next-generation CADstream, version 5.0, for breast and prostate treatments in the UK, Germany and Italy.

"Our partnership with Medrad will make CADstream available to more physicians and patients, ultimately helping improve patient care in the EU," said Confirma President/CEO Wayne Wager. "With their customer relationships, dedication to the radiology market and reputation as a leader in medical imaging devices, Medrad will be a strong partner."

The two companies are exhibiting at the ECR 2009 meeting, which runs through today at the Austria Center in Vienna. Confirma is exhibiting with Medrad in the latter company's booth.

CADstream is a dedicated CAD operating system designed for radiology networks and workflow-specific MRI applications. The system automates the analysis, reporting, and interventional planning of studies and promotes standardization of MRI studies with the incorporation of recognized standards. Specific applications are available for breast and prostate treatments.

• Varian Medical Systems' X-ray Products Group (Salt Lake City), a supplier of X-ray tubes and flat panel digital X-ray image detectors for filmless imaging, is exhibiting its line of PaxScan flat panel X-ray image detectors for digital radiography (DR) at the ECR event.

Varian also is showcasing its full line of X-ray tubes for fluoroscopy, angiography, cardiology and cone-beam CT imaging.

The Varian booth is spotlighting several advanced filmless imaging and X-ray tube products, including:

— The PaxScan 4336R, a 43cm x 36cm detector designed to replace standard film cassettes used in existing radiographic applications and intended for use in mobile and multi-bucky imaging systems.

— The PaxScan 4343R, Varian's largest panel, a 43cm x 43cm detector designed for permanent mounting in radiographic tables or wall stands. The company said the large size of the 4343R makes it an "excellent receptor" for real-time, large field of view image acquisition.

— The new G-296 rotating anode X-ray tube developed for use with flat-panel digital detectors. The insert is specifically designed for general radiology, cineradiographic and fluoroscopic procedures.

— The MCS-6074 rotating anode X-ray tube for CT scanning along with a line-up of replacement X-ray tubes that are available through Varian's Interay subsidiary, which offers medical X-ray tubes "on demand" for service and small OEM markets.

"We are committed to providing our growing European customer base quality products and 'on demand' service," said Steve Kimmel, VP of marketing for the X-ray Products Group. "From stocking locations around the world we are able to offer regional product and support services, which in turn help increase our customer's competitiveness in the marketplace."