Cardea Technology, Inc. (Cardea) and Optasia Medical, Ltd. (Optasia), announced the plans to collaborate and configure their software tools for Vertebral Fracture Assessment, a method for evaluating vertebral fractures from images on bone densitometers, to exchange information and create reports for the management of osteoporosis.

Optasia has developed SpineAnalyzer, a product that aids in the identification of vertebral spine deformities by efficiently and comprehensively annotating spine anatomy. This unique software workflow solution enables rapid and reproducible assessment of 6-point morphometry, while simultaneously providing full contours outlining vertebral shape. The software employs a proprietary statistical model-based image analysis technique, which uses a simple manual single-point initialization to automatically segment the lateral vertebrae from T4 to L4. SpineAnalyzer is designed to fit seamlessly into the existing workflow of scoring a lateral spine image.

Cardea develops BoneStation, a web-based software program that automates the review of VFA and X-Ray scans and the creation of bone density reports. BoneStation facilitates the secure transmission of DXA scans and data from a bone densitometer to a central database where scans are instantly viewed from any computer with internet access. During the scan review in BoneStation, a physician can incorporate a patient’s bone fracture risk factors into the patient’s overall assessment and report.

With new data sharing functions, BoneStation and SpineAnalyzer provide physicians with enhanced capability to measure and report on vertebral spine deformities. After an operator creates a 6-point morphometry assessment with SpineAnalyzer, it is displayed in the BoneStation interface and integrated into BoneStation’s comprehensive osteoporosis assessment reports.