TechScan

Aquarius Intuition Server

TeraRecon

Aquarius Intuition Server/ Workstations from TeraRecon offers a comprehensive suite of clinical applications and tools, delivering better image quality, clinical functionality and real-time performance. Large slice CT and MR studies can be rapidly loaded with segmentation, editing, analysis, and region-growing tools.

Application type

2D/3D/4D post-processing of CT/MRI/PET-CT images.

Company Background

TeraRecon Inc is one of the leading companies in advanced image processing and 3D visualisation techniques providing advanced imaging systems for medical and other visualisation applications based on its unique and patented image processing technologies. Founded in 1997, TeraRecon has developed a unique family of powerful processors that are used in its real-time, enterprise-wide image processing solutions and real-time 3D volume rendering hardware engines

Introduction to technology of product

TeraRecon uses and offers Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) amongst the best in 3D post processing. VolumePro is a powerful 3D volume rendering board offering fast real-time 3D with superior image quality. VolumePro is so powerful, a single workstation can also act as a server for multiple remote thin-client stations, maintaining unparalleled speed, performance and energy efficiency. TeraRecon was the pioneer and is still the market leader for the thin-client workstations.

Standard Aquarius Workstation Features

The 3D viewer is a powerful visualisation tool that utilises the VolumePro 1000 as is its volume rendering engine. The 3D viewer has the following features/ capabilities:

• Fast 3D reconstruction tools include 3D volume rendering, MPR, MIP, MinIP, RaySum, thick MPR, perspective 3D, curved planar reformats and the ability to switch between these modes. CPR is a manual way to place points that are only in straight line, for example, the posterior aspect of the vertebral body.
• Centreline extraction uses the points that you place to automatically generate a centerline, for example, through the centre of vessel.
• Fully integrated original slice axial mode review.
• One can load dynamic 4D datasets by selecting multiple series.
• Segmentation and editing functions easily remove skeletal structure from vasculature. Transparent anatomical landmarks can be superimposed to show the relationship of arteries and vessels to bone.
• Multi-phase Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) and Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) support is provided for time-dependent studies with three simultaneous linked oblique MPR views.
• Coronary CTA allows for viewing stenosis, calcification and thrombosis of vessels and small coronary branches.
• Performing quick stenosis is accomplished with a single keystroke. When one performs a stenosis on a study the diameter and distance measurements are displayed annotations.
• When outputting files, user can use batch reformatting in 2D and 3D for creating movie files. One can output images to various formats such as JPG, BMP and print images to a film or hardcopy printer. One can export images to CD-R with a freely distributable viewing application or export DICOM files back to the PACS with reports. A reporting module is provided using MS Word.

USP of the Product

Aquarius offers superior performance, image quality and a wide range of advanced clinical applications suited for radiology, cardiology, oncology and more. It delivers one of industry's fastest real-time diagnostic review of 2D, 3D, 4D images and incorporates workflow enhancing tools with an intuitive user interface. Multiple users can access all clinical applications anywhere, anytime across the healthcare enterprise. Aquarius is a 3D workstation and a powerful 3D server, all-in-one computer. It offers an unparalled suite of clinical applications which can also be accessed on any computer or PACS station, throughout the enterprise on a convenient thin-client platform. It offers a single seamless solution for all of its advanced image management needs and has been carefully designed for streamlined workflow and ease-of-use.

Advantages

With its advance image management solutions - CT workstations, MRI workstations, PET-CT fusion, video-conferencing and dual energy applications on the customers ensures that every radiologist, every feeder to the radiology department has access view, post-process 2D, 3D, 4D (beating heart) from the comfort of their cabin, their residences, as the post-processing is done on the server-side. In addition all its systems come with site licenses, which mean 10 radiologists can simultaneously read/ post-process coronary studies without procuring additional licenses. In all, the system has an impressive 37 applications module.

User Friendliness

"The product can be mastered to use after less than three days of training as the product is very intuitive and easy to learn," claims Nehal Shah, Regional Sales Manager, India.

Maintenance / Servicing

The company has onsite and remote support available for the upgradation / updating the software solutions. For hardware, it offers gold support from the DELL/ HP/ IBM.

Units Installed in India

Presently, the company has 11 installations in the country.

Testimonials

Dr Niranjan Khandelwal, Prof and Head, Department of Radiology, PGIMER, Chandigarh

We have been using this unit since the last three months. The experience has been good and in my view as a user, the product has been quite good. I know it has been one of the best ones as I had seen this product in a radiological meeting in Chicago as well as saw it in Washington. When we had to order a workstation, we were confused between Vital Images and Terarecon, but considering the kind of verstatility and user-friendliness we chose this product. We have invested Rs 5.5 crore to set-up the entire CT & workstation. Although, ours is not the first installation in the country, it is definitely the largest one in the country.

The best part about this product that I like is its user-friendliness. It's been very easy to operate and function. There is nothing about this product that I possibly don't like. But having said that, we haven't even explored this product to its full potential. Also, I believe that we have got the best product without paying higher price.

As far as its drawback goes, I'm not quite happy with its neuro work. The neuro angiography software is not that good as compared to rheir other application modules. But I believe the newer version is just released. As far as suggestions go to improve this product, I would recommend the company to improve on the brain angiography. The second area which requires improvement is on computer associated diagnostics. It should be able to generate and analyse reports and able to decipher the error. There are places wherein there are not many clinical experts and with the help of this software, you can actually anlayse the accuracy of his results, so that the dependency on the physician for a second opinion reduces. They do have this provision in colonoscopy.

They need to develop a good CAD system for coronary angiography. For example today in ECG, the reports generated are 95 per cent accurate and hence you need not wait for the physician to interpret the results for us.

Dr TBS Buxi, Chairman, Department of CT-MR, Sir Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi

This product has been in the world market for quite a long time. When I attended the biggest event for radiologists in Chicago, I've seen the product grow in five years. It has really shaped up well. There are so many modules that after scanning an image you can manipulate it as per your convenience be it PR, MIP or volume-rendering the image. You are actually near to reality-based viewing without having to cut any tissue. It's like you are coming close to the truth path. Normally, you have to cut sections of tissue, but here you can view it in slices and able to read every important image. There is also surface-shading display by which you can beautifully decipher the anatomy clearly.

By this product, you can gain access to real pathology. It's quite remarkable! Everything is one click away. In one click, you can view the bony-chest wall. In one click you can view the vessels. You can actually map-out the entire structure. They have designed this product in such a way that it's easy to operate. Even the structures luminate beautifully without any manipulation. Technology has moved at such a rapid pace, that at a time when cardiac scans took a couple of hours which was reduced to an hour and then 10-15 minutes, today, the whole thing can be done in three minutes. The best part about this product is its colonoscopy. The ease with which you can capture heart images is amazing.

As far as difficulties go, when it was launched in India, the technical infrastructure has been low. The engineers were based in the US. There was a communication gap and initial hiccups while trying to learn this system. It's like instead of taking six months for our men to learn the entire operations on their own, it could have been better if they conducted an educative week-long programme and trained them. The company should have more application specialists. Today, my radiologists may be probably more qualified than the application specialists but after all its computers. There needs to be somebody who regularly trains, so that they can start-off fast instead of taking their own time to learn.

Nancy Singh