Merge Healthcare has announced the release of Merge Mammo version 7.0. The system enables organizations to display and read images from different systems simultaneously. Merge Healthcare has announced the release of Merge Mammo version 7.0. The system enables organizations to display and read images from different systems simultaneously (digital mammography, ultrasound, MR, CR etc.) and to read all breast studies on a single workstation, regardless of which vendor's acquisition device is used to secure the images.

Version 7.0 new features include:

• Enhanced full-resolution viewing -- In full resolution, a digital breast image is larger than a computer screen. Thus, radiologists must pan across the image to view the image in its entirety. The process takes time and increases risk of the radiologist missing a portion of the read. Merge Mammo's new functionality provides a fluid, step-through method enabling the radiologist to move from section to section in full resolution to ensure complete review of the entire image.



• Optimized screen "real estate" -- Traditionally with mammography, a radiologist sees more than the breast. Blackened, background areas (often scans of the imaging unit itself) consume a portion of the viewing area. Viewing can be optimized by reducing background and isolating the breast. Merge Mammo now incorporates new algorithm-driven isolation of the breast image. By automatically fitting the breast image into the display, radiologists immediately see the image at maximum size, and avoid the time and distraction of moving and manipulating images.



• Enhanced inverted imaging -- Some radiologists use an inversion technique when reading images, converting black to white and white to black. Merge Mammo 7.0 offers a new feature that enables conversion of white (the breast image) to black, while maintaining background (non breast image) as black. This enhances the radiologist's ability to isolate potential problem areas more effectively when inverting images.

Additionally, Merge Mammo 7.0 gains functionality from the new On Demand interface with the Fusion Matrix PACS Archive. This option allows for enhanced workflow capabilities including retrieval of prior studies and a centralized reading worklist.

"We have benefited from a close relationship with the Merge Healthcare development team over the last three years," says Ramin Abrahim, MD, a radiologist with Washington Radiology Associates (WRA) which has six outpatient imaging facilities in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. "The result has been a feature-rich, efficient, almost self-maintaining product that has made our clinical work much easier. Once we converted to digital mammography, our experience-based input and corporate collaboration has continued to make Merge Mammo a top-notch, vendor-neutral, standalone solution."

"Recently published DMIST results have inspired many organizations to adopt digital mammography, and mammography was one of the hottest topics at this year's RSNA", says Kenneth Rardin, CEO of Merge Healthcare. "Yet organizations face obstacles in moving to digital, including high costs of acquisition devices, difficulty in blending mammography systems during merger or acquisition, inefficiencies of using multiple workstations, and challenges in optimizing collaboration across multiple facilities. We created Merge Mammo to ensure relevance to the true needs of imaging professionals, and will continue working with customers to create new features that improve clinical outcomes, optimize productivity and allow organizations to grow with this solution.