For Immediate Release
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TOSHIBA SUPPORTS NEW CARDIAC IMAGING FELLOWSHIP AT SHANDS HOSPITAL, UNIVERSITY OF
FLORIDA
New Program Uses World's Most Advanced 64-slice CT System To Educate Physicians
About ACC and ACR Guidelines
TUSTIN, Calif., Oct. 7, 2005 – Reinforcing its position as a leader
in cardiac CT education, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. today announced support
of a new visiting fellowship program at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida
(UF) in conjunction with the 33rd annual meeting of the North American
Society for Cardiac Imaging’s (NASCI), Oct. 8-11 in Amelia Island, Florida.
The fellowship, which is open to cardiologists, radiologists and technicians, is
designed to provide clinicians with practical experience using the latest 64-slice
CT technology, including Toshiba’s AquilionTM 64
CFX system, to educate clinicians interested in cardiac CT.
According to Dr. Anthony Mancuso, professor and chairman, Department of Radiology
at Shands and UF, radiologists and cardiologists collaborated to develop a fellowship
that would meet the most stringent requirements of organized radiology and cardiology.
“CT acquires a lot of data and it is important to learn how to interpret that data
to provide the best patient care possible. Our institution emphasizes multidisciplinary
educational programs, so it makes sense for Shands to offer a fellowship focused
on this breakthrough technology that crosses specialty lines and is significantly
changing the clinical environment.”
The program curriculum was developed based on guidelines from the American College
of Cardiology and the American College of Radiology to meet the needs of both specialties.
Curriculum content consists of several key elements, including hands-on manipulation
and reading of cardiac CT images, daily clinical read out sessions, online testing
applications and continuing medical education opportunities.
The fellowship, which begins in early 2006, accommodates two to four students at
a time and lasts from one week to three months, depending on the level of physician
training and individual goals.
“We are privileged to be working with Shands and look forward to broadening the
educational body of knowledge surrounding cardiac CT through the visiting fellowship
program,” said Doug Ryan, director, CT Business Unit, Toshiba. “This is a
very important endeavor in today’s market and we look forward to its success.”
Shands UF is sponsoring CME sessions at NASCI and Toshiba contributed an unrestricted
educational grant in support of Cardiovascular Imaging 2005.
The Aquilion 64 CFX allows physicians to easily capture precise, motion-free images
of the heart and coronary arteries to identify soft plaque or measure coronary blockage,
and detect signs of disease at its earliest stages. In addition, the superb
image quality provided by the Aquilion 64 CFX provides consistent, high-quality
images that can be used for instructional purposes, which is essential as much of
the program relies on the manipulation of data to create the images needed to diagnose
various heart conditions.
The Aquilion 64 CFX features the industry’s most advanced multi-detector CT imaging
technology available and utilizes Toshiba’s unique 64-row Quantum detector, which
enables the system to deliver high-speed, high-resolution cardiovascular imaging
with the lowest noise and most anatomical coverage. The system’s Quantum detector
enables the Aquilion to acquire 64 simultaneous slices of 0.5 mm with each 400-millisecond
gantry revolution. The result is the most precise isotropic imaging of the
heart, or any region of the body, during a breath-hold under 10 seconds.
The system also features Toshiba’s proprietary SUREPlaqueTM cardiac
visualization software developed to automate complex diagnostic cardiac examinations
to offer faster, more accurate diagnostic capabilities.
About Shands at the University of Florida
Shands at the University of Florida is a 618-bed private, not-for-profit hospital
and one of the most comprehensive in the Southeast, specializing in tertiary and
quaternary care for critically ill patients. Shands is one of the leading
referral medical centers in the southeastern United States and continually receives
recognition as one of the best hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World
Report. This recognition was achieved by making patient care, education and research
our priorities. Shands at UF is the primary teaching hospital for the UF College
of Medicine. More than 500 physicians representing 110 medical specialties
work with a team of health care professionals to provide quality care for patients.
The faculty from the UF College of Medicine includes nationally and internationally
recognized physicians whose expertise is supported by intensive research activities.
Because of Shands' affiliation with the UF Health Science Center, our patients benefit
from the latest medical knowledge and technology. For more information visit
www.shands.org.
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.
For more information about Toshiba visit www.medical.toshiba.com.
AquilionTM and SUREPlaqueTM are
trademarks of Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation.
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