TeraRecon takes aim at bottlenecks

With the release of its iNtuition platform for the Aquarius product line, possibly in the next two months, TeraRecon seeks to redefine the workflow paradigm for managing volumetric data. Eventually, if TeraRecon gets its way, iNtuition will completely eliminate the need for stand-alone dedicated 3D workstations, according to Steve Sandy, vice president of marketing.

The iNtuition architecture will provide enterprise-wide image management that brings advanced visualization and clinical application tools for modalities such as multislice CT, MR, or PET to users wherever they are needed - by technologists next to the scanner, radiologists in the reading room, referring physicians at a remote clinic, or physicians in their homes.

By means of the AquariusAPS (Automated Advanced Preprocessing Server), the architecture will streamline the editing of volumetric exams by automatically processing data sets in advance. User preferences will dictate which functions are done in background. These may include bone removal, extraction of the centerline, calculation of a parametric map, and registration or reformatting of scans.

Following a validation step, during which a technologist either accepts the results of automated preprocessing or conducts quality control or additional editing, if necessary, data will be sent to the AquariusNet Server for distribution to any thin-client 3D workstation in an enterprise.

"The computer, before or at the time the physician logs on, will extract information and do much of the editing work that currently has to be done when the radiologist steps up to the plate," Sandy said. "This automated step will think ahead and get the physician to a better starting point by customizing and tailoring workflow to the person or group who needs the information."

The iNtuition platform architecture could mark the end of the dedicated workstation, at least the type anchored to scanners, Sandy said. These workstations are becoming obsolete because many cannot handle the large number of slices being generated. Even if they can, the processed data cannot be distributed to a wide base of users.

"The end of the dedicated workstation will not happen right away, but it will happen as advanced applications move to the workstation client," he said. "By having the ability to share imaging data with others across the enterprise, iNtuition will be the platform for the next five years."