New MEDRAD 3.0T Prostate eCoil(TM) Enables Personalized Treatment Planning
August 02 2006 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
eCoil designed to produce very accurate MR images for targeted
prostate cancer treatment INDIANOLA, Pa., Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- To
enable personalized treatment planning that may reduce significant
side effects of prostate cancer treatment, MEDRAD and GE Healthcare
announce the availability of the first endorectal coil for 3.0T
magnetic resonance (MR) prostate imaging. The MEDRAD 3.0T Prostate
eCoil(TM) is available for GE Signa HDx 3.0T MR scanners through
sales representatives from MEDRAD and GE Healthcare. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040309/MEDRADLOGO) Patients
diagnosed with prostate cancer often undergo either a radical
prostatectomy, complete removal of the prostate gland, or radiation
treatment over large portions of the prostate to combat the cancer.
The after-effects on the patient can include impotence, urinary
incontinence, and bleeding. MEDRAD designed the 3.0T Prostate eCoil
to produce very accurate diagnostic images of the prostate that may
enable early diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer. The 3.0T
Prostate eCoil can also be used to plan radiation therapy in a way
that helps physicians localize treatment to only the affected part
of the gland. By giving clinicians more accurate images for use in
planning and delivering targeted treatment, the eCoil may help them
personalize the patient's treatment. The 3.0T Prostate eCoil gets
closer to the problem than other imaging options to help clinicians
get closer to the solution. The eCoil balloon conforms to the size
and shape of the prostate for consistent contact between the gland
and the signal-amplifying elements of the coil. The result is small
field-of-view (FOV) and high spatial resolution, sensitivity, and
specificity that yield clearer pictures of the prostate. "Prostate
cancer strikes over 200,000 men annually, and we believe the
Prostate eCoil can help in the diagnosis and treatment of this
disease," said MEDRAD's Gary Bucciarelli, senior vice president,
Magnetic Resonance Business Unit. "It will provide urologists,
radiologists, and radiation oncologists with better information for
treatment planning, recognizing that each patient is unique and
that their treatment for prostate cancer should be as well." "GE
Healthcare has made a commitment to aggressively pursue the
development of MR technology for the assessment of prostate
disease," said GE's John Chiminski, vice president and general
manager, Global Magnetic Resonance business. "Developments such as
GE's exclusive LAVA and Diffusion Weighted Imaging provide
physiological information that leads to improved diagnostic
confidence. The availability of the MEDRAD 3.0T eCoil on the GE
3.0T HDx scanner strengthens our clinical roadmap." Dr. Neil
Rofsky, director of MRI at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,
Harvard Medical School, in Boston, Mass., has used the MEDRAD eCoil
on a GE 3.0T MR scanner for the past several years. "The MEDRAD
3.0T eCoil can aid in the earlier diagnosis of prostate cancer and
optimize the treatment options for patients," said Rofsky. John
Kurhanewicz, Ph.D., director of the Prostate Imaging Group and
Biomedical NMR Lab and professor of radiology and pharmaceutical
chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
School of Medicine, has observed similar results on a GE scanner.
"The increased spectral dispersion obtainable at 3.0T allows for
better quantification of metabolites, notably the elevation of
choline resonance, which has emerged as the most specific marker
for prostate cancer," said Kurhanewicz. The Prostate eCoil is also
available for 1.5T magnet strength environments and is one of
MEDRAD's Leading Image(TM) MR Coil products. About MEDRAD MEDRAD,
INC. is a worldwide leading provider of medical devices and
services that enable and enhance imaging procedures of the human
body. Used in diagnostic imaging, MEDRAD's product offerings
include a comprehensive line of vascular injection systems,
magnetic resonance (MR) surface coils and patient care products,
and equipment services. Total 2005 revenues were $411 million.
MEDRAD is a 2003 recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award, the top honor a U.S. company can receive for quality and
business excellence. The company's world headquarters is near
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. MEDRAD is a U.S.
affiliate of Schering AG, Germany (FSE: SCH; NYSE: SHR). For more
information, visit MEDRAD's website at http://www.medrad.com/.
About GE Healthcare GE Healthcare provides transformational medical
technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient
care. GE Healthcare's expertise in medical imaging and information
technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems,
performance improvement, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical
manufacturing technologies is helping clinicians around the world
re-imagine new ways to predict, diagnose, inform and treat disease,
so their patients can live their lives to the fullest. GE
Healthcare's broad range of products and services enable healthcare
providers to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease,
neurological diseases, and other conditions earlier. GE
Healthcare's vision for the future is to enable a new "early
health" model of care focused on earlier diagnosis, pre-symptomatic
disease detection and disease prevention. Headquartered in the
United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $15 billion unit of General
Electric Company (NYSE:GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more
than 43,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals
and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information
about GE Healthcare, visit their website at
http://www.gehealthcare.com/. Cautionary statement regarding
forward-looking statements. Certain statements in this press
release that are neither reported financial results nor other
historical information are forward-looking statements, including
but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate
future events, trends, plans or objectives. Undue reliance should
not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are
subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can be
affected by other factors that could cause actual results and
MEDRAD's plans and objectives to differ materially from those
expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. MEDRAD
undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any of these
forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information or
future events, circumstances or otherwise.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040309/MEDRADLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: MEDRAD, INC. CONTACT: Dan
Dieter, MEDRAD Marketing Services, +1-412-767-2400 ext. 3726, or ;
or Brian McKaig, GE Healthcare Public Relations Manager,
+1-262-544-3937, or Web site: http://www.medrad.com/
http://www.gehealthcare.com/
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