CompactPCI high performance aids noninvasive radiology tool

The UltraSound CT Imaging System (USCT) from TechniScan Medical Systems (TMS) is a new, noninvasive ultrasound technology for breast imaging and analysis. It produces 3-D images of the entire breast automatically and at uniform resolution, providing valuable diagnostic information to help radiologists determine the properties of breast tissue. USCT can distinguish cystic masses from solid masses to assist in accurately identifying tissue for biopsy. The only way to rule out cancer using traditional methods is to undergo tissue biopsy. USCT enables radiologists to send fewer patients to biopsy. The consistent image USCT conveys is not dependent on the technician's operation of the equipment, and the imaging system does not require breast compression or use potentially harmful ionizing radiation.

Conventional breast ultrasound measures the echo of sound waves as they reflect off tissue to produce images. USCT uses ultrasound to produce two sets of images. One set is based on the speed of sound and the second set is based on sound attenuation. The images from these two different measurements can be displayed in many orientations for review. Each set is made up of a series of coronal slices of the breast image, which is exported in DICOM 3.0 format for the CT. USCT presents detailed information about the anatomy (physical structures within the breast) and pathology (bulk tissue properties). TMS has developed the Whole Breast UltraSound (WBU) algorithm, for calculating ultrasound characteristics of speed and attenuation of sound traveling through human breast tissue. The company also incorporates a new, 3-D version of ultrasound into WBU.

Problem: Cut conversion time

Processing the huge amount of data the USCT gathers takes impressive computational power. A typical scan of each breast can generate about 30 gigabytes (GB) of raw data for a total of 60 GB per patient. To transform that data into 3-D (MRI-like) images of only about 16 megabytes requires high-speed computing. The initial system required the patient to lie still for hours. Converting the data into an image took five hours.

Through software optimization, TMS refined the process to develop images in about half the time required by the initial system, which the company still considered too slow. TMS then reduced scan time from nearly 20 minutes per 2 mm breast layer to only about 12 seconds per layer (10 minutes per breast) through the use of a redesigned data acquisition system that captured data 100 times faster than the previous design. After this optimization the patient had to lie still for less than 10 minutes.

Having tackled the time problem using improved software optimization and data acquisition, TMS moved on to shrinking the time needed to compute and produce the 3D images. Its original system incorporated a 7-node Linux cluster built with seven Kontron CP6011 single board computers, connected by Fibre Channel (FC) to a 2-terabyte RAID storage system. The image processing time on this system is about five hours per breast. TMS enlisted Kontron and Intel to help reduce the conversion time. TMS first employed Intel's compilers and optimization tools to reduce the scan-to-image conversion time to about 2.5 hours. Kontron's CP6012 single board computer (Figure 1, courtesy Kontron), which uses a T2500 Core Duo processor at 2 GHz with 2 GB of memory and has 14 processing cores, brought conversion time down to less than one hour.

Figure 1 (click image to zoom by 2.4x)

CP6012 features include:

• T2500 Core Duo processor
• 64-bit, 66 MHz, hot swap CompactPCI interface (PICMG 2.x)
• CompactPCI Packet Switching Backplane (PICMG 2.16)
• Two Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, plus four Gigabit Ethernet interfaces via PCI Express
• Up to 4 GB/400 MHz DDR2 SODIMM RAM (6.4 GBps throughput)
• XMC or PMC slot for mezzanine cards (ANSI/VITA 42 and IEEE 1386)

The CompactPCI boards from Kontron provide top industrial-grade quality for reliable medical systems at the high performance required for this application. Hot swap and Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) enable reliable system operation. The Linux-based cluster makes for a scalable, flexible system.

TMS has developed USCT with the continued support of the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) Centers for Excellence Program in Utah, the National Institute of Health (NIH), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). TMS started clinical trials at the University of California San Diego in La Jolla, California and at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in May 2008 for final approval by the FDA.

TMS received top honors in the Medical Device category of the third annual Stoel Rives Utah Innovation Awards. TMS has raised nearly $30 million in equity financing and $4 million in federal funding from the NIH and from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Esaote Group (Italy), an international leader in the production of ultrasound and MRI medical imaging technologies, invested $9 million in TMS. TMS and Esaote have entered into an OEM agreement that allows TMS and Esaote to each use its partner's products in its own designs. The two firms have also executed an exclusive distribution agreement for the European market and are looking at developing a commercial cooperation for the American market.

For more information, contact Hermann at hstrass@opensystemsmedia.com.