Bone can obscure lung lesions that may indicate cancer. The latest version of CAD software from Riverain Medical, shown publicly for the first time at RSNA 2010, takes care of the problem.
Bone can obscure lung lesions that may indicate cancer. The latest version of CAD software from Riverain Medical, shown publicly for the first time at RSNA 2010, takes care of the problem.
The newly available computer-assisted detection product automatically identifies and then draws markers around suspected lung cancer nodules on digital chest radiographs from which bone, such as ribs and the clavicle, have been subtracted.
The software is a hybrid of two Riverain products: CAD-based OnGuard 5.1 and the company’s bone-suppressing SoftView. As with both OnGuard and SoftView, the bundle works as an integral part of PACS, requiring no separate viewing station. It also works with all digital and computed radiography systems, according to Steve Worrell, chief technology officer at Riverain Medical.
In offering OnGuard, SoftView, and a blend of the two, Riverain provides enough choices to satisfy a range of needs, Worrell said. SoftView offers a bone-suppressed image of the chest. OnGuard 5.1 identifies and marks suspicious lesions for radiologists who simply want a CAD program. Together, they do it all.
Developing the two products separately, however, allowed the company to focus on improving the underlying capabilities of each. A fundamental weakness of CAD has been its tendency to impede rather than boost productivity. CAD typically is used as a “second read.” The algorithms insert markers indicating suspicious lesions after the primary read, forcing radiologists to go back over what they have already interpreted. Embedding bone suppression in OnGuard addresses this by making the primary read easier and, potentially, faster, according to Worrell.
