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November 21, 2023

MediView transforms medical imaging with mixed reality using Microsoft HoloLens 2, bringing advanced procedures to more patients

MediView, a US medical technology start-up, is transforming healthcare with mixed-reality technology where digital and physical worlds interact. The company is improving patient outcomes by helping clinicians move beyond 2D medical imaging. Augmented reality is the cornerstone of this effort, and MediView has partnered with Microsoft to deploy the Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset in healthcare settings. Using MediView technology, clinicians report increased confidence during procedures and less physical strain, and remote collaboration services could make minimally invasive procedures more widely accessible. MediView’s innovative mixed-reality imaging solutions are a testament to how its partnership with Microsoft is changing healthcare.

MediView

Medical technology start-up MediView is pioneering a new era in healthcare by incorporating mixed-reality capabilities into traditional medical imaging, allowing physicians to use augmented-reality headsets to enhance the real-world clinical environment. Ultrasounds and other imaging devices provide 2D images of human anatomy that clinicians must then interpret in three dimensions, disrupting their focus as they repeatedly move between screens and patients. MediView is integrating the Microsoft HoloLens 2 augmented-reality headset with commercial imaging products to improve 3D medical visualization. This cutting-edge technology is designed to give clinicians more confidence and reduce physical strain, and it can provide patients in rural areas with better access to minimally invasive treatments by allowing physicians to guide procedures remotely in real time.

Transforming traditional medical imaging with Microsoft HoloLens 2

MediView began at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic. The company’s mission is to improve patient diagnostics and care through augmented-reality visualization, procedural guidance, and collaboration among clinicians. Augmented reality places 3D digital information into a person’s vision in real time. With traditional medical imaging, clinicians refer to 2D images while working in a 3D environment: the human body. During surgery, they must constantly shift focus between patients and flat screens, increasing ergonomic strain and disrupting concentration. With augmented reality in their imaging devices, clinicians can operate in a combination of the 3D digital and physical worlds.

MediView recognized that augmented-reality headsets could compensate for the limitations of 2D imaging by projecting virtual 3D images or placing a 2D image directly in a clinician’s line of sight. As the company began planning to merge augmented reality with commercial imaging devices, the Microsoft HoloLens 2 device stood out. “Our ability to deliver healthcare-changing augmented reality starts with the HoloLens 2 because of its form factor and capabilities, both in hardware and software,” says Glenn Raudins, Chief Technology Officer of MediView. “Microsoft was well ahead of everyone else in the industry.” 

Facilitating 3D visualization and reducing physical strain with MediView solutions

MediView joined the Microsoft Mixed Reality Partner Program and began using its mixed-reality toolkits to connect commercial imaging devices with HoloLens 2. MediView’s healthcare portfolio includes XR30, which combines traditional ultrasound imaging with the HoloLens 2 headset. During a clinical procedure, physicians wearing the headset can see 2D ultrasound images within their line of sight. More sophisticated MediView products add 3D visualization of the human anatomy and navigation systems to improve accuracy during soft-tissue medical procedures. MediView products such as XR90 give clinicians a 3D view of the patient’s internal anatomy and medical imaging with procedural navigation. “The visualization capabilities of the XR90 are like superhuman X-ray vision during procedures,” says Mina Fahim, CEO and President of MediView.

As MediView’s relationship with Microsoft evolved into a strategic partnership, it began using other Microsoft services to develop innovative products. The company’s solutions employ the HoloLens 2 headset, which uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 to provide wearers with collaborative capabilities such as remote assistance. MediView’s remote workforce benefited from Microsoft Azure services, especially Azure DevOps, which facilitates code development, sharing, and tracking across the organization. “We have employees in all four time zones of the United States, and Azure DevOps has been essential for us to manage our organization,” says Raudins. “It’s the hub for all of our development activities, from user stories to repositories to build pipelines.” 

Democratizing healthcare and potentially saving thousands of dollars with Dynamics 365 Remote Assist

MediView’s innovative approach to incorporating augmented reality into healthcare settings is already delivering tangible results for patients and care providers. A small clinical study found that mixed-reality medical devices were associated with better ergonomics, better accommodation of soft tissue deformation and respiratory motion, and improved operator confidence.[i]

“We were fortunate to work extensively with the Microsoft HoloLens 2 and the MediView XR30,” says Dr. Kevin Evans, Professor of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Investigatory Imaging at Ohio State University. “We found the benefit of improved physical ergonomics and the ability to move smoothly between clinical surroundings and augmented reality. Contextual training of our new users was a key investment that paid great dividends, as our users provided high satisfaction scores.”

MediView is passionate about ensuring that patients can receive minimally invasive procedures and the same quality of care in rural environments, where access to specialists can be limited. With a MediView solution, a specialist can use Dynamics 365 Remote Assist to call into a procedure and guide it in real time without having to leave their office. This can provide timely medical access for rural patients while saving thousands of dollars in travel and work expenses.

Combining vision and innovative technology to transform healthcare

MediView sees its products as just the beginning of the mixed-reality revolution coming to healthcare. With needs in the United States growing, technology is poised to help deliver care more broadly and efficiently, and MediView and its users are eager to elevate patient experiences by accelerating the use of mixed reality across the industry. “It is refreshing to see a user-friendly and truly innovative addition to the armamentarium for image-guided proceduralists and surgeons,” says Bradley Pua, MD, Chief of Interventional Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. “Augmented reality is pervasive in all industries and very much a part of our daily lives. MediView takes a unique approach to bridging this technology by merging it with sonographic imaging, adding a level of acceptability and safety not currently seen in this space. I look forward to continuing to see how this evolves.” 

MediView’s evolution into a strategic partner with Microsoft demonstrates how innovation can take off when healthcare and technology specialists work together. “The MediView and Microsoft collaboration with mixed reality is a rare and unique opportunity to move the human health needle forward,” says Adam Rakestraw, Cofounder, Chairman, and Chief Business Development Officer at MediView. “We’re excited and honored to be a part of it, and our partnership with Microsoft is critical to our success.”

[i] Gaurav Gadodia, Jeffrey Yanof, Aydan Hanlon, Sara Bustos, Crew Weunski, Karl West, and Charles Martin III, “Early Clinical Feasibility Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Platform for Guidance and Navigation during Percutaneous Tumor Ablation,” Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology 33, no. 3 (March 2022): 333–338, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvir.2021.11.014.

“The MediView and Microsoft collaboration with mixed reality is a rare and unique opportunity to move the human health needle forward. We’re excited and honored to be a part of it, and our partnership with Microsoft is critical to our success.”

Adam Rakestraw, Cofounder, Chairman, and Chief Business Development Officer, MediView

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