News | Press Releases

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August 6, 2008

IOWA HEART PURCHASES FIRST TOSHIBA APLIO ARTIDA ULTRASOUND SYSTEM

New System Features World’s First 3D Wall Motion Tracking

TUSTIN, California — August 6, 2008 — Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. delivered the first AplioTM Artida ultrasound system to Iowa Heart Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Known for its cardiovascular services, Iowa Heart has purchased the Aplio Artida to continue to provide superior patient care and increase its cardiovascular diagnostic capability.

“Being the first to purchase the Aplio Artida is an exciting development for us and our patients,” said Dr. Richard Marcus, director of cardiovascular ultrasound laboratory, Iowa Heart Center. “Having first-hand experience with the system, I am pleased with the images it produces. Its enhanced applications, particularly the 4D imaging, will allow our facility to continue to improve the care provided to our patients.”

According to Dr. Marcus, Iowa Heart Center selected the Aplio Artida for the system’s impressive 4D imaging capability and 3D wall motion tracking.

With its comprehensive applications, the Artida meets the demands of the growing cardiac 4D market. Artida’s real-time, multi-planar reformatting capabilities enable physicians to quantify global and regional LV function, including volumetric LV ejection fraction. Arbitrary views of the heart not available in 2D imaging are also obtained that can help with surgical planning.

The Artida is the first ultrasound system in the world with the ability to track and display myocardial motion and 3D volumes in 3D images. 2D/3D wall motion tracking features allow the user to obtain angle-independent, quantitative and regional information about myocardial contraction. It is hoped that these features will enable acquisition of additional data that could be of value in echo-guided cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and in stress echocardiography.

“Like Iowa Heart, Toshiba is committed to delivering the highest level of patient care,” said Gordon Parhar, director, Ultrasound Business Unit, Toshiba. “We are proud that Iowa Heart feels that the Artida will allow its physicians to best care for its patients and we look forward to a continued partnership.”

Artida includes additional features that enhance diagnostic capabilities, including multiple processors that run synchronously which allow for handling of large amounts of data.

The Artida’s multiple processor design brings echocardiography to a new level of imaging performance and clarity. It employs the distributed processing power of more than 80 processor cores interconnected by a fast digital system interface. In fact, the engine is so powerful it can process an amount of data equal to a fully loaded DVD every single second.

MultiCast Beamformer
The Artida’s MultiCast Beamformer uses advanced digital signal processing to control the shape of the ultrasound beam more precisely and flexibly than in comparable systems. Notable performance improvements, such as a simultaneous multiple transmit focus or a doubled frame rate in color Doppler mode, help expedite exams while improving diagnostic accuracy.

SmartSlice
The Artida brings best-of-breed cardiac 4D imaging to everyday clinical use. A variety of prospective and retrospective volume acquisition modes provide the freedom and flexibility to easily acquire and store 4D volumes as raw data. The easy-to-use volume navigation is delay-free and enables fast and accurate surfing of the volumes at any time, either on the system or off-line. The Artida’s intuitive SmartSlice functions allow physicians to cut, slice and position the 4D volume quickly and conveniently.

About Iowa Heart
Iowa Heart Center, founded in 1970, is one of the nation’s premier cardiovascular medicine practices. The Center’s physicians and staff are committed to providing world-class heart care, research and prevention services to Iowa families. For more information, visit Iowa Heart on the Internet at www.iowaheart.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 Corp., an independent group company of Toshiba Corp., is a global leading provider of diagnostic medical imaging systems and comprehensive medical solutions, such as CT, Cath & EP Labs, X-ray, Ultrasound, MRI and information systems. Toshiba Corp. is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems. Toshiba has approximately 191,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of $67 billion. For more information, visit www.medical.toshiba.com.