Nov 29, 2010 15:00 GMT  ·  By

Quite often, technology companies use their know-how in order to help in scientific research, and that's also the case with NVIDIA, whose professional graphics solutions might actually play a very important part in the fight against breast cancer.

So, the graphics manufacturer demonstrated, together with Real Time Tomography, LLC, a couple of innovative image processing and reconstruction solutions for breast imaging that will dramatically improve clinical workflow and productivity and that provide radiologists and medical professionals with superior information, impacting earlier detection of breast cancer while reducing time and discomfort for patients in compression.

Utilizing NVIDIA Quadro professional GPUs, Real Time Tomography’s new AdaraGPU software processes and enhances digital mammography images up to 10x faster than conventional CPU-based image processing solutions, greatly reducing the time to diagnosis.

With its high image quality, flexibility and processing performance, AdaraGPU minimizes image delay – critical for interventional procedures, such as breast biopsy.

AdaraGPU is the latest addition to Real Time Tomography’s software product line for 2D mammography image processing and enhancement, having an integrated, ‘plug-and-play’ design that makes it easy and cost-effective to enhance the performance of mammography systems.

“AdaraGPU underscores our continued commitment to help manufacturers deliver cost-effective products that improve image quality and clinical workflow,” said Susan Ng, CEO of Real Time Tomography.

“In developing a GPU-based version of Adara, we vividly see the incredible increase in speed and performance that NVIDIA Quadro technology will provide to our customers. There’s simply no comparison, especially when shortening the time to diagnosis is so vital to doctors and their patients,” concluded the company's rep.

The company's also working on Briona, a real time, GPU-accelerated 3D image reconstruction software solution for Digital Breast Tomosynthesis that allows for the real-time reconstruction of 3D tomographic images from 2D projections at any depth, magnification and angle to the detector.

Advanced features include the ability to change parameters dynamically to clinically target the reconstruction, and fast volume rendering.

“Real Time Tomography has realized the power of the GPU in unique ways with AdaraGPU and Briona,” said Andrew Cresci, general manager, vertical market solutions, NVIDIA. “By leveraging the massively parallel processing of NVIDIA GPUs, they have enhanced the workflow to improve biopsy accuracy, boost clinician productivity and reduce patient discomfort.”