Mercury Computer Systems Demonstrates Breakthrough in Medical 3-D Image Processing Speed.

Business/Technology Editors

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SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2002

With New Mercury Technology, Next Generation of Medical Diagnostic Imaging Systems Could Diagnose Life-Threatening Conditions 20 Times Faster Than Currently Possible

Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY), demonstrated for the first time today new extensions to its industry-leading RACE++(TM) family of high-performance embedded computer systems. The extensions achieve record speeds - up to 20 times faster than previously possible - for processing high-resolution, three-dimensional (3-D) medical diagnostic images. Unveiled here at the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) Symposium on Medical Imaging, Mercury's enhanced systems are targeted initially at the medical diagnostic imaging market and will define the ultimate platform for medical image processing, combining robust performance in affordable systems that manufacturers can quickly bring to market.

At the symposium Mercury demonstrated its system processing a cone-beam reconstruction of a 512 x 512 x 512 image in 15.5 seconds, which is 20 to 40 times faster than the 5 to 10 minutes typically required with conventional angiographic equipment currently in use. Rapid diagnosis and treatment is crucial in life-threatening situations requiring emergency treatment, such as brain aneurysms and arterio-venous malformations. When integrated into the next design cycle of medical imaging systems, Mercury's breakthrough sub-system design will dramatically improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis and treatment in time-critical situations.

"The techniques pioneered by Mercury make possible a new generation of medical imaging systems that can process images in seconds rather than minutes," said Didier Thibaud, vice president and general manager of Mercury's Medical Business Group. "We now can offer all of the system components - the technology, the hardware, the software - everything necessary for the medical imaging equipment manufacturers to bring their products to market rapidly. These new systems will enhance the quality of patient care, and we'll make every effort to ensure their availability to equipment manufacturers within months, not years."

Mercury's solution provides benefits never before available. Not only is 3-D diagnostic imaging now feasible in emergency situations, the new technique also provides for reduced time from imaging to treatment, reduced procedure time and risk, reduced X-ray dose and amount of contrast agent, reduced hospital stays and reduced healthcare costs, while providing improved treatment plans and patient outcomes.

Incorporating extensions to Mercury's industry-standard RACE++ architecture, the solution can be optimized for specific imaging algorithms. In addition to lightning speed and low cost, the extensions enhance Mercury's processing density, providing more processing capability in a smaller form factor.

Technology Background

Adjunct processors - computational devices that provide extreme high performance in selected applications - traditionally have performed back projection and other image processing tasks in medical imaging systems. Back projection is the technique that converts hundreds of X-ray images from a computed tomography (CT) scanner into 3-D images. Mercury has developed an adjunct processor using a field programmable gate array (FPGA) component that can process a specific algorithm as fast as it would take 15 conventional microprocessors to perform.

Mercury's RACE++ system combines conventional microprocessors with adjunct processors, which improves 3-D rotational angiography (viewing blood vessels and circulation) allowing better diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases.

Based on Mercury's RACE++ AdapDev(TM) 1120 development workstation, the prototype system is being demonstrated at Mercury's SPIE booth #201. The processing is performed on a Mercury RACE++ Series VantageRT(TM) 7400 PCI computer configured with a prototype adjunct processor module. These compute elements are connected by the RACE++ interconnect fabric. Input data is stored on a dedicated disk array, and processed images are sent to the AdapDev Pentium processor for display or network communications.

RACE++ is Mercury's second generation of the RACE(TM) switch-fabric architecture for building high-performance multicomputer systems. These multiprocessing systems distribute processing tasks among the available processors to eliminate bottlenecks and realize linear scalability. The heterogeneous system is supported by Mercury's scalable, real-time MC/OS software environment including the Scientific Algorithm Library (SAL), MULTI(R) IDE, Supervisor, Trace Analysis Tool & Library (TATL)(TM), and special tools for imaging system developers.

This technology can be used in a variety of medical applications including CT, rotational angiography, parallel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and adaptive ultrasound beamforming.

A high-resolution 3-D image can be downloaded from Mercury's web site at www.mc.com/48applications. A video demonstration and additional detailed information are also available on Mercury's web site at: www.mc.com/medical/spie.cfm.

About Mercury Computer Systems, Inc.

Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY) is the leading producer of high-performance embedded, real-time digital signal and image processing computer systems. Mercury's products play a critical role in a wide range of applications, transforming sensor data to information for analysis and interpretation. In military reconnaissance and surveillance platforms the company's systems process real-time radar, sonar, and signals intelligence data. Mercury is developing commercial wireless communications solutions in areas such as WCDMA multi-user detection and smart antennas. Mercury's systems are also used in state-of-the-art medical diagnostic imaging devices including MRI, CT, PET, and digital X-ray, and in semiconductor imaging applications including photomask generation and wafer inspection.

Based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Mercury serves customers in North America, Europe and Asia through its direct sales force and a network of subsidiaries and distributors.

Visit Mercury on the Web: www.mc.com

RACE++, RACE, AdapDev, ImpactRT and TATL are trademarks of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. Product and company names mentioned may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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