For Immediate Release
Contact: mktgcomm@tams.com

TOSHIBA'S VANTAGE PROVIDES OPTIMAL ULTRA-SHORT BORE MRI PERFORMANCE AT HEALTH SCAN IMAGING

Advanced Outpatient Imaging Center Takes Advantage of High-Quality Images and Patient Comfort Features

TUSTIN, Calif., June 9, 2005 – Delivering patient-focused imaging technology without sacrificing clinical performance, Toshiba America Medical Systems’ Vantage, the company’s ultra short-bore 1.5-tesla (1.5T) high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, provides optimal imaging performance and patient comfort features at Health Scan Imaging in Murrieta, Calif.

“The Vantage continues to prove its clinical value with superior imaging performance and patient-focused features for more comfortable MRI exams,” said Bob Giegerich, director, MR Business Unit, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.  “The Vantage offers the clinical capabilities of a high-field MRI in an ultra short-bore, open design, while Toshiba’s patented Pianissimo^TM noise reduction technology effectively reduces scan noise by 90 percent to provide patients with a less stressful exam.”

In addition to its patient comfort features, the Vantage MRI system performs a wide variety of MRI exams including the latest state-of-the-art imaging techniques.  For example, the system enables physicians to perform wide-ranging studies including brain and cardiac imaging, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), as well as advanced chest and abdominal applications.

“With the Vantage MRI, Toshiba has identified a ‘tipping-point’ without the technical disadvantages of an excessively short-bore magnet for fast, efficient imaging.  The Vantage offers a patient-friendly bore size for an ultra-short bore, high-field magnet for optimal performance and noise suppression, which is key from the patient’s perspective and a noticeable differentiator compared to other vendors,” said Bill Kelly, M.D., founder and medical director, Health Scan Imaging. 

“From a physician’s perspective, the larger number of sequences and extraordinary high-quality images captured per unit time with the Vantage allows for high-end applications, such as high-resolution imaging, MRA and off-center field-of-view skeletal imaging.  Image quality for neurological applications also has been consistently excellent,” Kelly said. “These advantages helped launch our start-up with after-burners.  We have quickly and consistently filled our schedule 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with great throughput while building tremendous referral loyalty at a new practice location where we previously had no referral relationships.”

“Achieving reliable, consistent fat saturation is almost effortless with the Vantage. The specification that ensures this directly is the Vantage’s improved homogeneity using a unique primary shim system that delivers less than 2 ppm homogeneity,” adds Dr. Kelly.

Unmatched MRI Performance and Patient-Focused Features
The Vantage features an ultra-short magnet at 140 cm with linear 30 mT/m (milliTesla per meter) gradient strength with a slew rate of 50 T/m/s (Tesla per meter per second), or 130 T/m/s.  Despite the short length of the magnet, the system delivers the highest homogeneity of any magnet in the industry over the full 50 cm diameter spherical volume (DSV). 

The Toshiba Vantage also offers some of the most advanced MRI applications available on the market today, including optional packages for cardiac imaging, advanced Echo Planar Imaging (EPI), Perfusion and Diffusion Imaging, Peripheral MRA, and SuperFASE (Fast Advanced Spin Echo) imaging.  In addition, Toshiba has pioneered research into contrast-free MRA with its Fresh Blood Imaging (FBI) protocol and Body Diffusion.    

With Toshiba's patented Pianissimo technology, which reduces acoustic noise by as much as 90 percent, the Vantage dramatically reduces the most significant cause of patient discomfort and enables clinicians to better utilize all of the system's high-field MRI capabilities including SPEEDER parallel imaging for increased acquisition speed which reduces examination times.

For more information about the Vantage, TAMS and its wide range of medical imaging products, please visit www.medical.toshiba.com.

About Toshiba
With headquarters in Tustin, Calif., Toshiba America Medical Systems markets, sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging systems, and coordinates clinical diagnostic imaging research for all modalities in the United States.  Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, an independent group company of Toshiba Corporation, is a global leading provider of diagnostic medical imaging systems and comprehensive medical solutions, such as CT, X-ray, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine, MRI and information systems.  Toshiba Corporation is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems.  Toshiba has approximately 162,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of $55 billion.

The Excelart Vantage^TM is a trademark of Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation.