3Di volumetric visualization software wins U.S. clearance: Shina Systems of Caesaria, Israel, won Food & Drug Administration approval to market its medical visualization software. 3Di creates a digital cloud of data from different sources which distributes the images to individual computers throughout a hospital. To optimize access, 3Di splits image processing between the client and server depending on the demands of clinicians.

Avatar in the OR: TrueVision Systems of Santa Barbara, Calif., is bringing Avatar-like 3D into the operating suite. The set-up allows the observation of microscopic surgery with a pair of polarized 3D glasses (the same kind you used to live the luminescent life of a Navi in Avatar).

“Artificial pancreas” uses available commercial technology: Clinical researchers at Cambridge University are testing the effectiveness of combining commercial continuous glucose monitors with insulin pumps via a proprietary closed-loop algorithm developed by the researchers. The study, performed on Type I diabetic pediatric patients using pumps and meters from Smiths Medical, Medtronic and Abbott, demonstrated a significant overnight glucose management improvement over continuous drip pumps.

ReShape Medical’s inflatable gastric balloon goes to trial: Clinical trials are soon to begin on the intragastric balloon developed by ReShape Medical of San Clemente, Calif. The device, already approved in Europe, is inserted endoscopically into the stomach and inflated with normal saline, effectively reducing the capacity and will of the patient to intake and digest food. Unlike gastric banding, the procedure is done on an outpatient basis and the device can be easily removed at a later time.

A weekly roundup of new developments in medical technology, by MedGadget.com.