BabyFace software puts fetus in 3-D

At the end of last month, Misonix and Sonora Medical Systems received FDA approval for a 3-D surface-rendering tool called BabyFace that, when plugged into a standard ultrasound system, transforms a 2-D image of a fetus into 3-D.

The system uses a transducer with an integrated motion-tracking sensor and a compact electronic box with a miniature computer. Product developers of BabyFace say the software can connect easily to conventional ultrasound systems.

Sonora, a distributor of previously owned and refurbished medical imaging systems, developed BabyFace with Biomedicom of Israel. Biomedicom is a spin-off of Mountain View, CA-based Silicon Graphics. Misonix President Michael A. McManus said his company will market the rendering tool aggressively. Misonix has a larger than 50% interest in Sonora.

Integrated Equipment Solutions, distributor of BabyFace, showed off the software at the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine’s convention in San Francisco this month. BabyFace will also be shown at the May 22–24 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists meeting in San Francisco.