Dissatisfaction with ultrasound functionality on PACS workstations has been an age-old complaint, leading many institutions to install separate ultrasound PACS to meet their needs. But what if powerful ultrasound capabilities were available within traditional PACS workstation software, offering the best of both worlds?
That's the proposition offered by Imorgon Medical, a Redwood City, CA-based developer of an ultrasound software-only package that can serve as a plug-in to an existing multimodality PACS.
"This changes the perception that you can't do all modalities without having the penalty of having to use a separate workstation [for ultrasound]," said Lloyd Kreuzer, founder and CEO.
Available on its own or integrated with conventional PACS workstation software (currently only iSite PACS software from Philips Healthcare of Andover, MA), the Imorgon Ultrasound PACS can display both ultrasound cine clips and still images. Both are presented instantly and in order of acquisition, according to the firm.
And now, thanks to the integration with multimodality PACS software included in the upcoming version 2.0 of Imorgon Ultrasound PACS, access to other imaging data such as previous MRI and CT studies is also readily available, according to the company.
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| Imorgon believes its software gives users better ultrasound functionality within their existing PACS environment. Image courtesy of Imorgon Medical. |
Imorgon Medical executives and engineers have a long history in ultrasound PACS, dating back to the technology's earliest days. For example, Kreuzer had a key role in developing the pioneering Aegis ultrasound image management system from Acuson (now part of Siemens Healthcare of Malvern, PA), and Acuson's subsequent KinetDx offering.
Another PACS veteran, Manabu Tokunaga, serves as founder and chief systems architect for Imorgon. He is a former senior systems architect at Philips' global PACS unit, and he also served on the development team for Stentor's iSite Enterprise PACS. Philips acquired Stentor in 2005.
While Imorgon Ultrasound PACS is currently only available as a plug-in within iSite, support for other vendors is planned. In addition to the PACS integration capability, Imorgon is incorporating support for 3D/4D and structured reporting in version 2.0 of the software.
While many new ultrasound scanners today offer 3D capability, the technology has not become mainstream due to the need for users to go to a separate workstation, Kreuzer said.
"Our goal is to integrate that into our product and make a lot more people interested in using 3D," he said.
Imorgon's structured reporting functionality includes the ability to directly import numerical information from ultrasound images into templates, Kreuzer said.
Installations of version 2.0 are under way for existing customers on a trial basis, with general availability targeted for August and September.
In other Imorgon Ultrasound PACS features, the system's architecture utilizes a mirrored server to provide continuous system availability and RAID storage to ensure fast accessibility to every ultrasound study, according to the firm. It also features RIS integration capability.
Imorgon is currently pursuing direct sales, but the company is also interested in OEM relationships, Kreuzer said. The software is available via a one-time, perpetual site license fee. The firm has also begun raising its public profile, exhibiting at the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) meeting in March.
Imorgon currently has four installed sites. Also, the firm announced in March that it received an order from Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore. The Johns Hopkins installation, as well as another order from the University of Alabama, will go live this summer, according to the company.
"For hospitals where ultrasound is very important, as it is with many, there is a need for better support for measurements, clips, [and] structured reporting," Kreuzer said. "We feel that is our niche, as well as supporting the enhanced functionality that continues to come to ultrasound [such as] 3D/4D and contrast."
By Erik L. Ridley
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
May 19, 2010
Related Reading
Radiologists dissatisfied with ultrasound features on PACS, April 28, 2010
Imorgon wins Johns Hopkins contract, March 25, 2010
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