12/1/1997
For Immediate Release
ROTATIONAL ANGIOGRAPHIC IMAGING GIVES PHYSICIANS MORE INFORMATION, FASTER AND AT LOWER COST
CONTACT:
Sheldon Schaffer
Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc.
1959 Summit Commerce Park
Twinsburg, Ohio 44087
800.800.3106
330.425.1313
330.425.1410 FAX
info@hitachimed.com
www.hitachimed.com
Chicago, IL - December 1, 1997 - One of the product highlights at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting in Chicago this week is a new angiographic imaging device from Hitachi which is designed to give physicians more clinical information, save time, and lower procedure costs over conventional methods. The VA100, as it is called, acquires angiographic data at very high rates from 360 degrees around the patient, in less than 5 seconds.
"From a single injection, physicians can obtain not only a wealth of information about the vascular anatomy but also see the relationship of vessels to their surrounding structures like never before," said John Newland, marketing manager for X-Ray systems at Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. (HMSA). "By rotating around a vessel of interest it's possible to reveal abnormalities which might otherwise be hidden by overlying structures. Plus, examination time is greatly reduced in many cases because the need for additional injections of contrast to acquire additional views is eliminated."
On display were clinical studies from the University of Miami Medical Center (UMMC) located in Miami, Florida. The VA100 was installed there earlier this year and represents the beginning of a collaborative working relationship between UMMC and HMSA. The common goal shared by the two is the expansion of the known array of applications for the unique capabilities of the VA100 system, starting with 2D and 3D angiography. "We at Hitachi believe the VA100 will prove to be an important contributor to the surgical planning process and trauma assessment, in addition to its demonstrated angiographic capabilities", added Newland.
"Hitachi Medical has become one of the leading suppliers of innovative and highly reliable X-Ray products worldwide," according to Sheldon Schaffer, vice president of marketing at HMSA. "We view the VA100 as our starting point for Hitachi Medical's participation in the U.S. X-Ray market. It represents unique technology delivering improved clinical utility and economics in the angiographic suite. This is the same combination of factors we used to enter the U.S. MR market in 1989. Since then, the popularity of our unique permanent magnet design Open MR system has helped lead Hitachi Medical to become the established leader in Open MR. The Open MR segment of the market has lived up to our 1989 vision of rapid growth, becoming the fastest growing segment in the U.S.. We anticipate that the benefits high-speed rotational angiography offers over traditional methods will enable it to achieve the same success as Open MR."
Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. (HMSA) markets the MR and X-Ray products of Hitachi Medical Corporation (HMC), Tokyo, Japan. These include the AIRIS® 0.3T Open-Air permanent magnet and the STRATIS® 1.5T short-bore high-field systems. HMSA has established itself as a major provider of magnetic resonance imaging systems in North America. The company has an installed base of approximately 450 MR systems in the U.S. with over 1,350 systems worldwide. With the introduction of the VA100 high-speed rotational angiographic imaging system. Hitachi enters the U.S. X-Ray market with unique technology which increases clinical utility and shortens exam times when compared to traditional systems.
