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June 15, 2010

TOSHIBA MR SYSTEM IMPROVES DIAGNOSTIC CAPABILITIES AND PATIENT COMPLIANCE AT CENTRAL WASHINGTON HOSPITAL

Open-Bore Titan MR Provides a Comfortable Patient Experience for a Range of MR Exams

TUSTIN, Calif., June 15, 2010 – In today’s demanding health care environment, many community hospitals require imaging equipment that provides a variety of advanced diagnostic exams with features that improve patient cooperation. To offer a variety of high-quality, comfortable MR exams to its patients, Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee, Wash., selected Toshiba America Medical Systems’ Vantage TitanTM MR system.

In addition to routine exams like orthopedic, cardiac, general radiology and abdominal imaging, Central Washington has begun performing breast MR exams, as well as new sequences such as liver diffusion, since acquiring the Titan in early 2009. With all exams, patient compliance has improved. The Titan’s patient-friendly features that help reduce claustrophobia, such as the large, open bore, feet first imaging and noise reduction technology, have played a role in the improved compliance and also led to fewer patient cancellations.

“The Titan provides a more comfortable exam experience for patients while allowing us to conduct advanced MR imaging,” said Dr. Tammam Nehme, radiologist specializing in cross-sectional imaging, Central Washington Hospital. “We use the versatile system for multiple exam types, allowing us to image a range of patient conditions to improve patient care in the community.”

Specifically designed to improve patient cooperation through more comfortable exams, the Titan MR has helped improve exam efficiency and accuracy at Central Washington Hospital while mitigating issues around imaging claustrophobic, bariatric and patients with renal compromise. The Titan’s large 71-cm aperture and open bore offers the industry’s largest clinical field-of-view (55×55×50 cm). The system also includes Toshiba’s patented PianissimoTM technology, which reduces acoustic noise by as much as 90 percent, helping to increase the comfort level of patients during exams. The Titan also includes Atlas Technology to eliminate the need to reposition patients during exams by integrating the coils into the table. This feature reduces exam time and is more comfortable for the patient. It also enables feet-first imaging for a majority of exams, allowing patients to keep their head outside the bore.

Toshiba’s proprietary contrast-free techniques have also benefitted Central Washington, as the site can now safely image patients with renal insufficiency using MR. Previously, the facility was required to image these patients on other modalities and often had to use a combination of modalities to obtain a diagnosis. Toshiba’s proprietary contrast-free techniques include Fresh Blood Imaging (FBI) for evaluating peripheral vascular diseases of the lower legs and extremities; Contrast-free Improved Angiography (CIA) for easier visualization of smaller vessels; Time-Spatial Labeling Inversion Pulse (Time-SLIP) for evaluating hemodynamic, functional assessments and visualization of vascular structures; and Time and Space Angiography (TSA) to create non-contrast time-resolved imaging with high temporal resolution. Non-contrast techniques are safer for patients with renal conditions without compromising image quality.

“Central Washington’s ability to offer a variety of comfortable exams to its patients, as well as the decrease in patient cancellations, demonstrates the effectiveness of the Titan’s patient-friendly features,” said Doug Ryan, vice president, Marketing and Strategic Development, Toshiba. “Additionally, the Titan has enabled Central Washington to expand the MR service lines it offers, providing a direct benefit to the patient community.”

The Vantage Titan MR system was purchased as part of a larger equipment upgrade taking place at Central Washington, in which the facility also acquired a Toshiba Aquilion® 64 CT and Aquilion 32 CT to serve as backup systems for its busy emergency department. Since that time, Central Washington has had such success with Toshiba’s MR and CT systems that it recently purchased two more Toshiba systems, the InfinixTM CC-i cath lab and Infinix VC-i angio lab.

About Central Washington Hospital

Central Washington Hospital is a community-owned, not-for-profit, acute care hospital that serves as the regional referral center for all of North Central Washington. With 206 beds, state-of-the-art technical facilities and a highly trained staff of health care professionals, Central Washington Hospital offers a full range of services, including: inpatient and outpatient surgery, cardiac program, coronary and intensive care, respiratory care, oncology, dialysis, neonatal nursery, home health and hospice, regional trauma emergency department, and skilled nursing and rehabilitative services such as cardio-pulmonary, physical, speech, and occupational therapies. Central Washington Hospital has been nationally recognized as being in the Top 100 Hospitals for orthopedics, intensive care, cardiac and community value. Central Washington Hospital broke ground on a $150 million expansion project in August 2009 and plans to complete a new, five-story patient tower, featuring all private patient rooms, in May 2011.

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 worldwide leader in technology, electronic and electrical products, digital consumer products, electronic devices and components, power systems, industrial and social infrastructure systems and home appliances. Toshiba was founded in 1875 and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies
with 199,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing $73 billion. For more information, visit Toshiba’s website at www.medical.toshiba.com.