Stanford Physicians Continue to Rely on EchoPixel’s Technology

EchoPixel has had a long-standing relationship with Stanford physicians, who were early adopters of its technology, beginning with the successful surgery of the conjoined Sandoval twins in 2017. 

The affiliation has continued in partnership with Michael Ma, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Division of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Stanford University, who has used and helped evolve the technology for the past several years. 

Dr. Ma has been using EchoPixel’s True3D software platform pre- and intraoperatively for complex intracardiac reconstruction and reconstructions of the pulmonary arteries. “Due to the intricate nature of these surgeries, it’s critical to have finely tuned 3D visualization of an individual patient’s anatomy, which can vary vastly from one patient to the next,” said Dr. Ma. He now uses EchoPixel’s technology routinely, relying on the pre-op platform to help him put together a plan going into the OR, then intraoperatively where he can replicate the plan in real time and leverage the technology whenever he needs to see the anatomy more clearly.

Dr. Ma noted that EchoPixel is also beneficial to the patient since he can navigate potential complications or other challenges that may arise unexpectedly thanks to better visualization of the complex topology both pre-surgery and during the procedure. 

“The EchoPixel team has created a tool I’ve come to rely on, and I’m excited as they continue to innovate and continually make their product better,” said Dr. Ma. “I’m a big proponent of the technology, and it’s been a true privilege to be part of this journey and evolution.”

As part of this support, Dr. Ma and Dr. Frandics Chan, MD, Stanford cardiac radiologist and associate professor of radiology at the Stanford University Medical Center, published a poster last year titled “Artery Repair, a Step Toward Precision Surgery,” where the team concluded that EchoPixel’s interoperative platform is effective at guiding complex congenital heart surgeries, with the promise to increase surgeons’ confidence during the procedure and reduce dissection and reconstruction time, while decreasing injury and complications.