3-D ultrasound upgrade enters market

Biomedicom, a 1998 spin-off from Silicon Graphics, has begun shipping a 3-D ultrasound imaging platform called SonoReal. The product is compatible with existing 2-D ultrasound systems and features a positional sensor, which attaches to a 2-D transducer using a simple clip-on device, enabling the physician or sonographer to acquire slices that can be reconstructed into 3-D volume. Proprietary software supports semiautomated image segmentation capability. By drawing a contour around a selected area, the SonoReal can define and surround a region or organ of interest, automatically removing obscuring tissues. The product debuted earlier this year at the annual meetings of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.