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Updated: Feb 1, 97 |
COVIRA | |
| Contact: Dr. Michael H. Kuhn Department Head, Magnetic Resonance Systems Philips Corporate Research, Technical Systems, Hamburg P.O. Box 63 05 65 Roentgenstr. 24-26 D-22315 Hamburg GERMANY Tel.: +49 40 50 78 20 30 Fax: +49 40 50 78 19 77 e-mail: M.Kuhn@PFH.Research.Philips.com |
Image registration, segmentation and visualisation techniques have been the major achievements in the produced workstations.
Software for the above-mentioned purposes was implemented in C, and installed in three different workstation environments provided by the three industrial companies involved (Philips, Siemens and IBM). As far as possible, object-oriented programming using C++ was employed, based on data structures corresponding to the new JPJ standard, in the creation of which the project has actively participated.
Clinical evaluation was based on pre-defined protocols and questionnaires.
The COVIRA project - with two of the world's leading suppliers of diagnostic imaging equipment and one major supplier of information processing equipment participating - intended to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry, with focus on the hospital department services in the above mentioned application areas. The project had significantly advanced the state-of-the-art in clinical computer-assisted image analysis, provided clinical validation, and demonstrated cost effectiveness and improved quality of health care in the application domains.
To assure clinical focus of the project, each computer science activity has been derived from a careful analysis of nowadays clinical procedures and requirements as formulated by the end users who are performing the clinical validation. Workstations with the respective software functionality - integrated by the industrial partners - have been installed and clinically validated in six pilot application systems in five European countries, two each for the areas of radiological diagnosis, neurosurgery planning, and conformal radiotherapy planning. This is the first time that on the base of real users requirements improvements in clinical efficiency and quality of service can be established and partly even quantified and the level of user acceptance even directly expressed. A largely standardised evaluation protocol for patient testing at the different sites has been achieved based on a concertation action between clinicians.
Image visualisation and user interaction software has included functionality for multi-modality multiplanar reformatting. 3D volume rendering, and interaction such as 2D/3D contour editing. 2D/3D stereo tactic needle simulation, and display of radiation beams and dose distributions overlaid onto the image data.
The resulting software has been designed and written such as to conform to the first draft of the upcoming ISO standard on Image Processing and Interchange (IPI), and makes use of an object oriented programming approach in order to maximise portability, extendibility and re-usability of the software across European manufacturers.
Significant advancements have been made, such as algorithms for image registration and segmentation, user interaction, 3D display, anatomical atlas representation, cerebral vessel tree reconstruction and radiotherapy planning. Integration of this software into the pilot systems and their clinical validation has been the major achievement of the project. This is the first time that, based on specifications of need put forward by the clinical users themselves in the proposal definition phase, the improvements in clinical efficiency and quality of service have been established and partly even quantified, and the level of user acceptance directly expressed. COVIRA will make computer assisted diagnosis and treatment planning more efficient and more effective will have a major impact on the use of computers in the hospital, and thus on the realisation of telematics technologies.
The COVIRA project has improved and extended the insight into the customer's needs. It has showed the importance of the multi-modal approach in the considered applications areas. The insights gained in the COVIRA project have speeded-up the process of design and implementation of a more general multi-modality workstation product and of specific clinical derivations at partner Philips (NL) and has influenced workstation design at partner SIEMENS (D).
The software for image segmentation and registration is being commercialised by partner IBM (UK). The software package for radiation therapy planning is being further evaluated by a larger group of clinics and negotiations regarding licensing have taken place.
| Dr. Peter J. Elliott IBM UK Laboratories Ltd. Athelstan House 2-5 St. Clement Street, Winchester Hampshire SO23 9DR, U.K. Tel.: +44-962-84.41.91 Fax: +44-962-84.00.99 E-mail pjelliot@winvmd.vnet.ibm.com | Dr. Dietmar Hentschel Siemens AG Medical Engineering Group Henkestrasse 127 D-8520 Erlangen, Germany Tel.: +49-9131-84.33.16 Fax: +49-9131-84.47.71 |
| Dr. D. von Keyserlingk RWTH Aachen Institut für Anatomie Pauwelsstraße 30 D-5100 Aachen, Germany Tel.: +49-241-808.91.00 Fax: +49-241-80.44.13 | Dr. Wolfgang Schlegel Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Institute of Radiology In Neuenheimer Feld 280 D-6900 Heidelberg 1, Germany Tel.: +49-6221-42.25.51 Fax: +49-6221-41.13.07 |
| Prof. Olaf Kuebler ETH Swiss Federal Inst. of Technology Inst. für K.F.B. Gloriastrasse 35 ETZ F82 ETH Zentrum CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland Tel.: +41-1-256.52.82 Fax: +41-1-251.21.72 | Prof. Dr. Max Viergever Academisch Ziekenhuis Utrecht 3D Computer Vision Kamer E.02.222 Dept. Radiology & Nuclear Medicine Heidelberglaan 100 NL-3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands Tel.: +31-30-50.77.71 Fax: +31-30-51.33.99 |
| Prof. H.Siegfried Stiehl University of Hamburg Dept. Computer Science Bodenstedtstraße 16 D-2000 Hamburg 50, Germany Tel.: +49-40-41.23.61.27 Fax: +49-40-41.23.65.30 | Prof. Gianni Vernazza Universita Degli Studi Di Genova - Dibe Via All'Opera Pia 11a I-16145 Genova, Italy Tel.: +39-10-353.27.55 Fax: +39-10-353.27.77 |
| Dr. W. Swindell Institute of Cancer Research Physics Dept. Downs Road Sutton 5M2 5PT Surrey, U.K. Tel.: +44-81-692.60.11 Fax: +44-81-693.38.12 | Prof. Paul Suetens Katholische Universiteit Leuven ESAT Interdisciplinary Research Unit Kardinaal Mercierlaan 94 B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium Tel.: +32-16-22.09.31 ext.1068 Fax: +32-16-22.18.35 |
| Dr. Ignacio Ayerdi Philips Systemas Medico S.A. Marketing Calle Martinez Villergas 2 E-28027 Madrid, Spain Tel.: +34-1-404.22.00 ext.2495 Fax: +34-1-403.42.69 | Dr. Michael Kuhn Philips Med. Systeme GmbH Forschungslaboratorien Vogt-Koelln Straße 30 D-2000 Hamburg 54, Germany Tel.: +49-40-549.33.26 Fax: +49-40-549.33.27 E-mail kuhn@pfh.research.philips.com |
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Philips Medical Systems Nederland BV
Building QP-1105 PO Box 10.000 NL - 5680 DA Best The Netherlands Contact person for this partner: Dr. ir. Frans A. Gerritsen EVM Advanced Development Tel.: +31-40-27.62.381 Fax.: +31-40-27.63.816 |
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