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November 7, 2005

TOSHIBA PROVIDES JOHNS HOPKINS APLIO CV ULTRASOUND SYSTEM FOR USE IN GROUNDBREAKING CLINICAL TRIAL

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Initiates First-Ever Study Using Ultrasound and Computerized Tomography (CT) to Assess Outcomes Following Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT)

TUSTIN, Calif., Nov. 7, 2005 – A leader in ultrasound technology innovation, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. (TAMS), today announced an agreement to provide Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center the state-of-the-art Aplio^TM CV ultrasound system for use in a groundbreaking clinical trial.  The Aplio CV, Toshiba’s all-digital ultrasound system for advanced cardiac applications, will enable clinicians in the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Department of Non-invasive Cardiac Imaging, to conduct a high-volume of cardiovascular echocardiography procedures.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Aplio CV will be used for 30 months in a clinical study in conjunction with Toshiba’s Aquilion 64 CFX^TM, the world’s only true volumetric 64-slice computerized tomography (CT) system.  The clinical trial, entitled “The Combined Use of Tissue Doppler Echo and Cardiac Multi-Detector CT to Assess Outcome Following Resynchronization Therapy,” commenced in October and involves approximately 50-100 patients.  According to investigators, no other study has evaluated both ultrasound and CT.

The overall objective of the study is to utilize the combination of these modalities to optimize cardiac resynchronization, predict the adequacy of response to therapy and to study the effects of dyssynchrony. 

The study aims to determine which echocardiography measurement or combination of measurements best predicts CT-determined reverse-remodeling in cardiac patients undergoing resynchronization therapy and exploring whether coronary venous anatomy predicts CT determined reverse-remodeling in cardiac patients undergoing resynchronization therapy.

“The combination of cardiac CT and Tissue-Doppler echocardiography has the potential to obtain almost all clinically important cardiac information needed to evaluate the patient, plan the implantation procedure and assess the outcome,” said Gordon Parhar, director, Ultrasound Business Unit, TAMS.  “The decision by Johns Hopkins, the No. 1 rated hospital in the country, to utilize not one, but two of our systems for this unique study, validates Toshiba’s superior technology and excellent clinical support team.”

About Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), which is sometimes called biventricular pacing, is a form of therapy for congestive heart failure caused by dilated cardiomyopathy. CRT uses a specialized pacemaker to coordinate the action of the right and left ventricles in patients with heart failure.  In approximately 30 percent of patients with heart failure, an abnormality in the heart’s electrical conducting system (called an “intraventricular conduction delay” or bundle branch block) causes the two ventricles to beat in an asynchronous fashion.  That is, instead of beating simultaneously, the two ventricles beat slightly out of phase.  This asynchrony greatly reduces the efficiency of the ventricles in patients with heart failure. 

CRT coordinates the beating of the two ventricles by pacing both ventricles simultaneously.  This differs from typical pacemakers, which pace only the right ventricle¹.

Aplio CV: Premium Ultrasound
The Aplio CV features next-generation Tissue Doppler and contrast imaging technology based on Toshiba’s Intelligent Component Architecture (ICA), which allows faster processing of more complex data and delivers dramatically improved image quality.  ICA permits the system to perform highly complex data operations, such as Tissue Harmonic Imaging and Pulse Subtraction techniques with frequency compounding.

For high performance cardiac examinations as well as research and quantification studies, the Aplio CV offers a comprehensive package for Doppler measurements and advanced clinical data analysis, including Tissue Doppler Imaging Quantification (TDI-Q) for improved analyses for TDI images and the award-winning iASSIST^TM, which allows sonographers to improve their body positioning during exams, reducing operator strain. 

Aquilion 64 CFX: High-Resolution, Non-Invasive CT
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.

About Toshiba America Medical Systems and Its Products
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 the Toshiba and its wide range of medical imaging products, please visit www.medical.toshiba.com.

Aplio^TM, Aquilion 64^TM and iASSIST^TM are trademarks of Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation.

¹Source: About.com –http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/heartfailure/a/CRT.htm