ContextVision’s GOPView CT Achieves Unprecedented Image Enhancement Speed

Advanced gaming technology delivers forty frames per second

BOSTON, Mass. and STOCKHOLM, Sweden – October 6, 2009 – ContextVision, the software imaging partner for the most recognized medical imaging manufacturers worldwide, today announced the successful implementation of GOPView® CT, the company’s CT image enhancement software, on a Cell microprocessor. This revolutionary microprocessor, the Cell Broadband Engine Architecture, also known as Cell, Cell/B.E., Cell BE or CBE, was developed through collaboration between Sony Computer Entertainment, Toshiba, and IBM. The application’s computational performance delivers the highest speeds realized in CT: 40 frames per second using common filters. “The Cell processor allows ContextVision to offer its OEM customers an improved hardware platform for image enhancement,” said Jan Erik Hedborg, CEO of ContextVision. “We offer technology on many platforms already, including multi-core PCs, graphics processing units, and digital signal processors. We’re proud to bring to market the first CT image enhancement tool on the Cell platform.” About Cell Broadband Engine Architecture Originally created to increase performance for computer entertainment, wireless downloads, real-time video chat, and other image-intensive modalities, the Cell processor has been used primarily in the gaming industry. The Cell processor serves as the heart of Sony’s Playstation 3. As modern microprocessors continue to improve, the technology offers an opportunity to develop medical image enhancement capabilities beyond those of current technology. The Cell’s ability to efficiently process floating point data makes it extremely suitable to implement complex algorithms that require high accuracy. Every improvement made in medical imaging enables doctors to work more efficiently with their patients, ultimately leading to faster and more accurate diagnoses. About GOPView CT Like all ContextVision products, GOPView CT uses a proprietary and adaptive algorithm, GOP, which enhances CT output images, leading to greater diagnostic confidence. In some implementations, users may use a lower patient dose while maintaining image quality. This type of dose reduction benefits both patents and hospitals. For patients, the low dose translates to less risk without sacrificing image quality or diagnosis accuracy. Hospitals using GOPView CT in this manner will experience decreased wear and tear on X-ray tubes.

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