Vital Images enters PC realm with latest release of Vitrea

Vitrea 2 will run on both NT and Unix operating systems

The 3-D imaging marketplace has taken to the PC platform in force. The latest to make the move to PCs is Vital Images, which will launch Vitrea 2, the next generation of its Vitrea 2-D/3-D visualization and image-analysis software, at this month’s RSNA meeting. Vitrea 2, the company’s first PC-compatible 3-D product, is designed to run on both Windows NT and Silicon Graphics’ O2 Unix platform.

Vital Images will join Voxar, Able Software, and Mitsubishi Electronics (SCAN 11/10/99, 10/13/99, and 6/9/99) as vendors marketing PC-based 3-D technology. Vitrea features built-in clinical workflow tools and real-time navigation of 3-D volume data, allowing the user to navigate interactively through the anatomy. In addition, it automatically optimizes visualization settings using adaptive clinical protocols, improving speed and simplicity over other visualization techniques, according to the Minneapolis, MN-based company.

Vitrea 2 incorporates all the features of the original Vitrea package introduced in October 1997 (SCAN 10/29/97), but with significantly improved performance, according to the company. With new technology available on Pentium III processors, most operations within Vitrea 2, including 3-D volume rendering, are up to four times faster than earlier versions of Vitrea, said Steve Canakes, vice president of U.S. sales.

Vital Images chose to make Vitrea 2 compatible with both Windows NT and Unix to take advantage of the faster performance of the NT platform and to meet the needs of the growing number of hospitals moving to NT as their preferred platform, according to Canakes.

“From a price performance standpoint, NT is a faster platform, and we are trying to take advantage of hardware packages that are already out there,” he said. “But Vitrea 2 runs faster on the O2 platform as well.”

Vitrea 2 also features a new batch capability to create 2-D or 3-D image sets, digital movies, or multiple images for reporting, and a “save workflow” feature that saves a Vitrea work-in-progress case for review or completion at a later time. The software is also designed to be extendable beyond radiology, enabling interpreted 3-D visualizations to be delivered to physicians and surgeons for further study and analysis.

Vital Images expects to begin shipping Vitrea 2 before the end of the year. The Unix-based version will be distributed to installed sites that are covered by a maintenance program. Upgrades will also be available for existing customers that want to trade up to the Windows NT platform. The system sells for $85,000 to $90,000, with the software accounting for about two-thirds of that cost.