Acuo Technologies(R) Announces Image Distribution Contract With Michigan State University

ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 3 Acuo Technologies, developers ofhigh-performance software for intelligent medical image management, datamigration tools and services, today announced that its DICOM Services Grid(TM)is being used in the distribution of timely information monitoring the impactof malaria in Malawi, Africa by Michigan State University. Due to the factthat the vast majority of malaria patients are children, it is critical to usenew technologies to quickly assess the damage malaria does to a child.Physicians now can diagnose and study the affect the disease has on aninfected child's brain, something that previously could only be done in anautopsy.

The plight of Malawi's unfortunate children changed when GeneralElectric's new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit was installed at theQueen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi's largest city. The MRIScanner captured images and Acuo's DICOM Services Grid rapidly transmittedthem to Doctors at MSU over secure connections. The combined technology willlet physicians assess the mystery of malaria and effectively deal with a widerange of illnesses before they are untreatable and affect the localpopulation.

The Acuo DICOM Services Grid plays an important roll in receiving theimages from the MRI by storing and rapidly sending them to the physiciansacross the Atlantic. Once received, radiologists evaluate images and providecritical input to the treating physicians. The DICOM Services Grid builds thefoundation for a vendor neutral medical imaging grid environment allowingsharing and collaboration regardless of the proprietary systems producing,storing or viewing the images. Michigan State University will also be usingthe Acuo DICOM Assisted Migration (ADAM) to move and virtualize data betweentheir existing proprietary archive with their new GE 3.0 Medical ImagingEnvironment. This new environment employs mirrored EMC CX-340 CLARiiONSproviding an automated solution for business continuity.

The deployment of this new and exciting technology helps to attract andretain doctors in Malawi. Dr. Sam Kampondeni is a success story, trained as aguest radiologist in the MSU Department of Radiology in 2007, he returned toMalawi to treat patients. Dr. Kampondeni now sends images to MSU to havefellow radiologists provide valuable and timely assistance seamlessly as ifthey were in the same hospital. "With these new systems we will be able toserve dozens more patients each day," said Dr. Sam Kampondeni.

"This will help in so many ways," Dr. Terrie Taylor said -- UniversityDistinguished Professor of internal medicine and an osteopathic physician withMichigan State. "We will use it for the research we do, we'll be able to useit for everyday patients that come through the hospital, and it will help toattract and retain more doctors to Malawi." Dr.Taylor spends the rainy season-- January through June -- working at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital,treating malaria patients and conducting research on a disease that kills asmany as 2 million children in sub-Saharan Africa every year.

This success was possible through the efforts of James Potchen, an MSUUniversity Distinguished Professor of radiology and chairperson of thedepartment. MSU is looking at expanding the project to other parts of theworld.

About Acuo Technologies

Acuo Technologies was founded in 2000 with the objective of developing thefirst enterprise-wide vendor neutral solution for medical DICOM imagesresiding in a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS). Over 240implementations around the world have deployed AcuoMed(TM) and AcuoStore(TM)software solutions. For more information, visit http://www.acuotech.com.

SOURCE Acuo Technologies