Kortrijk, Belgium, 15 October 2015 — Healthcare imaging
specialist Barco is pleased to announce that its flagship diagnostic
display system – Coronis UnitiTM – has been clinically
validated for multi-modality breast imaging. This makes Coronis Uniti
the world’s first and only diagnostic display that can be used for both
PACS and multi-modality breast imaging, including breast tomosynthesis,
3D mammography, breast MRI and breast ultrasound.
Barco’s Coronis Uniti display
system had previously been cleared for viewing PACS and mammography
images, including breast tomosynthesis. The FDA’s new indications for
use include breast MRI, breast ultrasound, CT and ultrasound, including
vascular and gynecological ultrasound, enabling radiologists to view a
host of breast imaging modalities – in color or grayscale, 2D or 3D,
static or dynamic – on a single display.
The benefits of multi-modality breast imaging
The ability to access any image on a single display offers
significant benefits, from workflow and clinical perspectives. First of
all, it eliminates the need to change workstations to complete patient
studies. Additionally, running side-by-side comparisons and image
fusions have proven to positively impact diagnostic interpretation. The
use of ultrasound in combination with conventional mammography in women
with dense breasts, for example, has resulted in better early breast
cancer detection.(1)
Barco engineers spent years researching the best way to enable
multi-modality PACS and breast imaging on a single display and developed
revolutionary technologies to make this possible.
“With Coronis Uniti, we wanted to break through the technical
boundaries of multi-modality integration and deliver the first unified
workflow for radiologists in order to improve reading productivity as
well health outcomes,” confirms Lynda Domogalla, Barco’s VP Product
Marketing for Healthcare. “We have succeeded in developing a ‘one size
fits all’ diagnostic display – which defines a new bar for
clinically-focused display solutions.”
Accuracy in color and grayscale
“To maximize the diagnostic value of color breast images, we
developed new technologies to calibrate and maintain the consistency of
these color images” adds Lynda Domogalla, “and we are leading in the
definition of a Color Standard Display Function (CSDF) to ensure the
accuracy and consistency of color images on diagnostic displays.”
Differences in the visual appearance of different image types posed
additional challenges, which Barco tackled by introducing proprietary
technologies to automatically set the proper color and grayscale
settings for every image modality – even when viewing them
simultaneously on the screen.
Fluent moving and 3D images
Barco also found a way to counteract motion blur when reviewing
multi-frame image sequences such as digital breast tomosynthesis,
breast ultrasound and breast MRI. Thanks to RapidFrameTM
technology – which provides a high pixel refresh rate – Coronis Uniti
enables radiologists to accurately visualize moving and changing images,
avoiding loss of detail when scrolling through the 3D stack and
ensuring efficient diagnosis as well as swift workflow.
