A 3D imaging system that increases the precision, comfort and safety of medical procedures.

CarnaLife Holo is a breakthrough technology for three-dimensional imaging of medical data that makes planning and performing medical procedures easier.

70+ procedures: Advanced percutaneous interventions on valves, the septum and the vessels of the thorax
GE Vivid E95: Real-time preview of echocardiographic data through the Stream Server function
First-in-man: The first echo streaming in history during a structural heart procedure

Product: CarnaLife Holo
Client: GE Healthcare
Field: 3D echocardiography

The technology.

Through dedicated Microsoft HoloLens goggles, a three-dimensional hologram reflecting the actual structure of the imaged anatomical area is displayed in real space.

Three kinds of reality

Virtual reality (VR): A fully virtual, closed environment. No interaction with the outside world.
Augmented reality (AR): Virtual elements integrated with the real surroundings.
Mixed reality (MR): Full interaction with, and the ability to manipulate, both the real and the virtual elements of the environment.

Core and additional features.

Support for the DICOM standard
Holographic visualisation of 3D datasets
Interaction with holograms through gestures and voice commands
Integration with hospital PACS
Tools for selecting the region of interest (virtual scissors)
Presets optimised for different applications, with dedicated filters
Real-time display of data from the GE Vivid E95

MedApp S.A. – GE Healthcare. A success story.

Over the past 50 years the diagnostic capabilities of echocardiography have advanced considerably: from M-mode imaging, through 2D, to real-time three-dimensional imaging. Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is the new standard in cardiac ultrasound imaging, offering better quantification as well as unrestricted access to the anatomy of the organ. Traditionally, however, 3DE data was displayed as a two-dimensional projection on computer monitors, which stripped the image of all its three-dimensional information.

CarnaLife Holo is innovative software that makes it possible to visualise echocardiographic data imported or streamed from GE Vivid echocardiographs using the Stream Server function. Through this connection the 3DE data stream is carried live into mixed reality, where the imaging specialist or interventional cardiologist sees the echo as a realistic three-dimensional hologram that can be controlled independently of the current view on the ultrasound machine. This opens up extended analysis, discussion and therapy planning by experts based on the same data but presented from a different perspective, with touch-free interaction in MR and an exchange of information between GE Vivid and CarnaLife Holo.

In mixed reality the physician can interact with the hologram through gestures and head movements, rotate it, enlarge it and change its rendering parameters such as gain or transparency. The available view can be recorded and even transmitted onward, for example over a videoconference. This opens up an entirely new perspective on echocardiography and on the use of 3D technology in the clinical environment for pre-procedural planning and intraoperative visualisation.

The solution has already been used in more than 70 procedures, including advanced percutaneous interventions on valves, the septum and the vessels of the thorax. Many of them have been written up, presented at international cardiology meetings and described in scientific articles in world-renowned journals and at conferences. Recently, experts at the European Heart Journal highlighted that echocardiographic image streaming was used during a structural heart procedure for the first time in history — a major step forward.

What they say.

Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is the new standard in cardiac ultrasound imaging, offering better quantification but also unrestricted access to the anatomy of the organ.

Prof. Jarosław Kasprzak, MD PhDHead of the 1st Department and Chair of Cardiology

In our view CarnaLife Holo brings an entirely new dimension to medical imaging. Advanced visualisation techniques in mixed reality give interventional cardiology a new perspective on pre-procedural planning and intraoperative support.

Maciej StanuchTechnology Manager, CarnaLife Holo

Summary.

The collaboration between CarnaLife Holo and the GE Vivid E95 supports both preparation for a procedure and visualisation during it. This makes an independent, repeated assessment of echocardiographic data possible in real time. The aim of using CarnaLife Holo is to shorten the procedure and improve the precision of treatment in complex cardiovascular cases.

The technological and medical benefits of the collaboration between CarnaLife Holo and the GE Vivid E95 mean better health for everyone.

Publications and scientific reports.

JD. Kasprzak, M. Kierepka, A. Zlahoda-Huzior, M. Stanuch, D. Zolna, J. Serafin, JI. Kasprzak, J. Witowski, K. Wdowiak-Okrojek, JZ. Peruga, Mixed reality interactive visualization of cardiovascular anatomy in interventional lab – clinical implementation in transvascular patent ductus arteriosus closure, ESC Congress 2020, Amsterdam, online. View the publication
Kasprzak JD, Pawlowski J, Peruga JZ, Kaminski J, Lipiec P. First-in-man experience with real-time holographic mixed reality display of three-dimensional echocardiography during structural intervention: balloon mitral commissurotomy. Eur Heart J. 2020 Feb 1;41(6):801. View the publication
Kasprzak J.D., M. Kierepka, J.Z. Peruga, B. Machura, M. Stanuch, A. Złahoda-Huzior, J.I. Kasprzak, K. Wdowiak-Okrojek, P. Lipiec, June 2019, Initial Clinical Experience with Mixed Reality Interactive Visualization of Three-Dimensional Echocardiographic Datasets During Percutaneous Interventions, American Society of Echocardiography Conference ASE, Portland, USA.
Kasprzak, J. D., Witowski, J., Pawlowski, J., Peruga, J. Z., & Złahoda-Huzior, A. (2019). Percutaneous patent ductus arteriosus closure using intraprocedural mixed reality visualization of 3D computed tomography angiography data: first-in-man experience. European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Imaging, 20(7), 839-839. View the publication
Kasprzak, J.D., Kierepka, M., Peruga, J.Z., Dudek, D., Machura, B., Stanuch, M., Zlahoda-Huzior, A., Kasprzak, J.I., Sorysz, D., Wdowiak-Okrojek, K. and Lipiec, P., 2019. P4357 Implementation of interactive mixed reality display of three-dimensional echocardiography during percutaneous structural interventions. European Heart Journal, 40(Supplement_1). View the publication
Pawlowski, J., Janc, K., Kaczor, U., Kaminski, J., Kasprzak, J., Kierepka, M., Machura, B., Witowski, J., Zebrowski, D., Wdowiak-Okrojek, K. and Lipiec, P., 2019. Development of mixed reality interactive visualization for three-dimensional echocardiography: P1406. European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Imaging, 20. View the publication
Pawlowski, J., Janc, K., Kaczor, U., Kaminski, J., Kasprzak, J.I., Kierepka, M., Lipiec, P., Wdowiak-Okrojek, K., Witowski, J., Zebrowski, D. and Kasprzak, J.D., 2018. P2270 Searching for ultimate cardiac data display – Mixed reality interactive visualization of three-dimensional echocardiographic datasets. European Heart Journal, 39(suppl_1). View the publication
Zamorano JL, Pinto FJ, Solano-Lopez J, Bucciarelli-Ducci C. The year in cardiovascular medicine 2020: imaging. Eur Heart J 2021; 42:740–749. View the publication

Would you like more details of the collaboration?.

The PDF document contains the details of the CarnaLife Holo collaboration with GE Healthcare.

Download the PDF

See the other case studies.

Surgical oncology, vascular surgery and interventional cardiology — the full list of clinical deployments.

All case studies

Would you like to see CarnaLife Holo in your centre?.

We will arrange a demonstration on your own imaging data, including a live stream from a GE Vivid echocardiograph.