AutoAlign

AutoAlign is an automated MRI slice prescription software application that can be embedded in an MRI scanner's system software. Conventionally, MRI scans of the brain are aligned differently from site to site, from subject to subject within a site, and during repeat scans for a single subject. Due to reliance upon manual judgment-based processes, alignment and prescription applications suffer from a high degree of variability between exam sessions. For instance, if an MRI operator performs two scans on the same subject, the two studies may not be precisely aligned. This variability increases the variability in the rescan process, and makes it less reliable and problematic for precise side-by-side comparisons or computer-aided volumetric analysis. This variability also produces inconsistent alignment, which makes standard 2-D viewing protocols for Radiologists (film and PACS based) more complex and inefficient.

AutoAlign corrects for differences in patient positioning between scans. The consistent anatomical alignment provided by use of AutoAlign during the MRI acquisition process can: 1) improve the speed and accuracy of visual identification of structures and abnormalities in individuals; 2) facilitate between-subject comparisons in structures of interest; and 3) improve detection of change over time in serial imaging studies. AutoAlign can also improve patient throughput, a critical economic factor to maximize profit in imaging centers with high fixed costs.

AutoAlign has been cleared for marketing as a medical device by the US FDA [510(k) K061855]. It is available for nonexclusive licensing to MRI OEMs, and since 2004 has been included as an option in the intelligent workflow system of a major MRI system vendor.

MRI Slices Before & After
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