Revolutionary Veterinary Imaging System Developed with NI LabVIEW and RIO Technology

Author(s):
Matt Antonelli - Animage, LLC
Ivan Charamisinau - Animage, LLC
James Carver - JAMCO Engineering

Industry:
Medical, Biotechnology

Products:
Real-Time Module, CompactRIO, LabVIEW, Single-Board RIO, FPGA Module

The Challenge:
Develop and deploy an embedded, multi-modality diagnostic imaging system for small animal veterinary diagnostics quickly.

The Solution:
The decision to use NI LabVIEW and CompactRIO technology was to quickly create a functional prototype and demonstrate feasibility, and then 100% of the prototype software code was ported to NI Single-Board RIO to complete the final solution for system deployment.

Animage and Fidex
Animage LLC, a subsidiary of Exxim Computing Corporation, was founded in 2008 to provide high-end imaging products for the veterinary market. After successfully becoming an industry expert in algorithm development for imaging products such as cone-beam CT scanning, Animage LLC decided to expand its business into hardware system design, resulting in the first unprecedented product for the veterinary market, the Fidex 3-in-1 imaging system. This multi-modality diagnostic imaging system is primarily used for small animal veterinary diagnosis.

Fidex can produce three modes of diagnostic imaging, which previously required three separate devices to achieve.

The first modality is digital radiography (X-ray), which is usually the first imaging performed on a patient and is generally considered an essential step in diagnostic imaging. However, sometimes X-ray imaging does not provide enough information for diagnosis, and more advanced technology is needed.

Figure 1 Digital radiography is often the first type of image a veterinarian needs.

The second mode uses 3D CT, also known as CAT scanning using cone-beam technology. Unlike the standard fan-beam technology we see in human medical scanners, cone-beam CT uses a C-arm with an X-ray source and detector that circulates around the object, using a wide cone beam to collect holographic CT data. Cone-beam technology allows Fidex to achieve a small coverage area and the CT components are simple and easy to use.

Figure 2 CT scan, the C-arm rotates around the patient, collecting thousands of individual images, which are then reconstructed. Fidex uses a revolutionary image reconstruction algorithm called cone beam imaging. [page]

The third mode is fluoroscopy (or motion capture X-ray imaging), which uses a C-arm to capture images at any desired angle. This mode is generally used to study joint movement, swallowing, cardiac function, other physiological movements, and real-time guidance of certain surgical procedures and intubation procedures.

Figure 3 Mobile X-ray imaging, or fluoroscopy, is ideal for a variety of diagnostic and clinical applications—such as observing joint movement or performing swallowing studies on a puppy while it eats while standing on a platform.

Prototyping with NI LabVIEW and CompactRIO
The first phase of development was conducted in April 2008 with the goal of developing a test bench prototype to control the X-ray source, X-ray detector, and motion system. Software development started with the riskiest parts and then progressed gradually. We used LabVIEW software, which allowed us to focus on the key algorithms of the product without being affected by trivial and complex hardware design.

Development started with controlling the X-ray source. Then we wrote timing code to synchronize the excitation of the X-ray source and the data acquisition of the sensors. Finally, we integrated the mechanical prototype system with the excitation and acquisition system mounted on the frame and added motion control to demonstrate the basic process. This functional prototype successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the product, which gave us confidence in successfully completing the other stages of development. Because the system is based on LabVIEW, the design can be easily modified, and even replacing some parts will hardly affect our schedule. Therefore, it took only about 6 months to build the first prototype.

Deployment with NI Single-Board RIO
The next phase required us to prototype the first imaging system. The final mechanical design was based almost entirely on the prototype mechanical system, with only a few minor modifications. We used NI CompactRIO to control a prototype scanner F-001 that had a complete X-ray system, a mobile gantry, and a mobile collimator. This system was completed in just three months.

Finally, we needed to develop risk mitigation code and a rich user interface to port our prototype to the final deployment platform using single-board computer hardware designed for embedded machine development. We used NI Single-Board RIO as the deployment platform and implemented the same code as the prototype system. We then continued development, adding patient positioning capabilities and a system control panel. We even used LabVIEW for user interface design and completed the new system F-002 in 3 months. NI Single-Board RIO uses the following components to control the end device:

Rotating gantry with encoder
and end switches Positioning detector
with encoder and end switches Elevating bed with encoder and end switches
X-ray generator (kV, mA, pulse generation, and error handling)
Rotating anode
Four collimator motors
Detector trigger signal
Field light and laser for patient positioning
Gantry control panel input and status display module
Future Plans
We plan to pilot two more units for clinical trials. Although some modifications are foreseeable, we are confident that these features can be easily added using LabVIEW. By using LabVIEW and NI Single-Board RIO, we have avoided developing most of the system from scratch, which has shortened our time to market and saved about three R&D staff-years or about $300,000 in labor costs.