Mercury Computer Systems Demonstrates Breakthrough in Medical 3-D Image Processing Speed.Business/Technology Editors NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo available on BW PhotoWire/AP PhotoExpress, NewsCom and in a Smart News Release(TM) on Business Wire's Home Page at www.businesswire.com and at www.newstream.com 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 Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. NASDAQ: MRCY provides high-performance embedded, real-time digital signal and image processing solutions. Mercury designs and builds embedded multicomputers, which may be considered to be either loosely coupled , Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : 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 SPIE International Society for Optical Engineering SPIE Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers SPIE Source Path Isolation Engine SPIE Special Purpose Insertion Extraction SPIE Software Process Improvement Experimentation SPIE Standard Protocols in Effect ) 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 Computed tomography (CT scan) X rays are aimed at slices of the body (by rotating equipment) and results are assembled with a computer to give a three-dimensional picture of a structure. (CT) scanner into 3-D images. Mercury has developed an adjunct processor using a field programmable gate array See FPGA. (FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) A type of gate array that is programmed in the field rather than in a semiconductor fab. Containing up to hundreds of thousands of gates, there are a variety of FPGA architectures on the market. ) 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 angiography or arteriography X-ray examination of arteries and veins with a contrast medium to differentiate them from surrounding organs. The contrast medium is introduced through a catheter to show the blood vessels and the structures they supply, including (viewing blood vessels Blood vessels Tubular channels for blood transport, of which there are three principal types: arteries, capillaries, and veins. Only the larger arteries and veins in the body bear distinct names. and circulation) allowing better diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases vascular diseases, n.pl diseases of the peripheral circulatory system. . 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 (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). 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 heterogeneous system n. A chemical system that contains various distinct and mechanically separable parts or phases, such as a suspension. is supported by Mercury's scalable, real-time MC/OS software environment including the Scientific Algorithm Library (SAL), MULTI MULTI Multiple (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 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), noninvasive diagnostic technique that uses nuclear magnetic resonance to produce cross-sectional images of organs and other internal body structures. (MRI 1. (application) MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 2. MRI - Measurement Requirements and Interface. ), 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 (Wideband CDMA) A 3G high-speed digital data service provided by cellular carriers that use the TDMA or GSM technology worldwide, including AT&T (formerly Cingular) and T-Mobile in the U.S. 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. Note: A Photo is available at URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. : http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.022502/bw1 |
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