Vital Images shows new Vitrea version

Three-dimensional visualization developer Vital Images is keeping up with advances in multislice CT technology by optimizing its Vitrea workstation to handle data from the new scanners. The Minneapolis company rolled out the new version of Vitrea at last month's Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago.

Vitrea 1.2 is able to visualize the large data sets produced by multislice CT scanners quickly, thus enabling physicians to gain more detailed information for diagnosis and preoperative planning. The new version is particularly useful for virtual colonoscopy exams using 3-D-rendered CT data sets.

Other new features of the software include gantry tilt, automatic slice averaging, nonuniform slice spacing, 3-D measurements, dual-monitor display, and other dedicated visualization protocols. Like earlier versions of Vitrea, the software runs on the O2 workstation manufactured by Silicon Graphics of Mountain View, CA. Vitrea 1.2 will be available this quarter.

In other Vital Images news, the company reported that it is working on a calcium scoring option for CT scanners that will enable users to automate the calcium scoring process. Vital Images is working with Toshiba America Medical Systems of Tustin, CA, on the project, but the function will work with CT scanners from all vendors.