Confirma Unveils Advanced New Products and Options In CADstream; Confirma Showcases CADstream(TM) and the Access(TM) Breast Coil at the 2005 RSNA Meeting in Chicago.

CHICAGO -- Confirma, Inc., the market leader in computer-aided-detection (CAD) for MRI, today announced the addition of innovative new features to CADstream, the standard in CAD for breast MRI. An expanded version of SureLoc(TM), CADstream's interventional guidance tool, is now compatible with all interventional guidance methods and equipment. Additionally, CADalog(TM), the company's new study library that provides efficient storage and retrieval of studies, and z3D Contrast Acuity by Clario, a new visualization tool for the evaluation of study enhancement patterns, are being launched at the Radiological Society of North America meeting. CADalog and z3D Contrast Acuity are currently under clinical investigation.

CADstream's advanced products and options, along with the Access Breast Coil, are currently being showcased at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2005 meeting in booth 8750 (Hall B) in Chicago, IL. Confirma will be hosting a press briefing on Tuesday from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. at McCormick Place (RSNA News Conference Room) to discuss advances in breast MRI and CAD.

"CADstream continues to improve analysis and interpretation of breast MR studies," said Bruce A. Porter, MD, FACR, Medical Director, First Hill Diagnostic Imaging, Seattle, WA. "Breast MR has been significantly hindered in the past by the time consuming, laborious task of processing and interpretation of the study. CADstream markedly reduces processing and interpretation time, and there is increasing evidence suggesting that CAD may also improve the accuracy of breast MR studies. The data being presented at RSNA this year on breast MR and CAD, as well as the new CADstream features, support the contributions of advanced analysis tools, such as CAD for breast MR."

"Our goal is to advance breast MRI, ultimately improving breast cancer detection," said Wayne Wager, president and CEO of Confirma. "The new features and options in CADstream continue our commitment to listening to the radiology community, and adapting and developing products to help customers build efficient and standardized breast MRI programs. With hundreds of CADstream systems integrated in women's imaging programs, we have learned a great deal, and we have adapted and built products that exceed physicians' needs."

CADstream -- Expanding Women's Imaging

CADstream is advancing breast MRI by enhancing efficiency, standardization, access and compatibility of studies. The system automates analysis, reporting and interventional planning of studies and promotes standardization with the incorporation of the ACR BI-RADS(R) Atlas. CADstream is designed for any workflow scenario, integrating with existing equipment and providing access to studies anywhere on the network. Automated features include adaptive image registration (2D/3D), multiplanar reformatting, subtractions, angiogenesis maps, curves, maximum intensity projections (MIPs), volume summaries, portfolio for reporting, SureLoc(TM) for interventional guidance and multimodality capability. New products include CADalog(TM) for study library access. Additionally, z3D Contrast Acuity software, a new visualization tool for the evaluation of study enhancement patterns, is currently being integrated into CADstream. Z3D Contrast Acuity is under clinical investigation.

CADstream Advances

New Features

SureLoc, interventional guidance tool, quickly calculates coordinates

--Reports needle target for both grid and pillar methods in real-time

--Displays images and needle position in the patient's orientation

--Compatible with industry-leading interventional equipment

--Available on any networked PC for access in the MR suite

New Products

CADalog, study library, provides storage and efficient access to studies

--CADstream studies saved with CADalyst user interface

--Studies available for on-demand retrieval

--Ability to view and compare previous and current studies

New Option

z3D Contrast Acuity, enhances visualization of time-intensity changes (z3D Contrast Acuity is under clinical investigation)

--Uses 3D graphics for visualization of dynamic series, subtractions, and morphology.

--Animations can assist radiologist's interpretation of a study's enhancement patterns

Breast MRI Gains Acceptance as Important Diagnostic Tool

Clinical indications for breast MRI exams continue to expand as physicians increasingly recognize the value of this highly useful study. Since 1999, there has been a 40 percent per year increase in the number of breast MRI examinations in the United States.(1) Breast MRI is primarily used for determining extent of disease (staging), monitoring response to therapy in breast cancer patients and further evaluation of mammographic, sonographic and clinical abnormalities. Clinical research has reported that MRI demonstrates high sensitivity for detecting invasive breast cancer.(2)

Scientific literature also shows the effectiveness of MRI in screening women at high risk for breast cancer. In May 2003, the American Cancer Society released updated guidelines for breast cancer screening indicating that breast MRI, when used with mammography, may enhance the effectiveness of screening and diagnosis.(3) Additionally, in July 2004, the NEJM published strong evidence to suggest that breast MRI studies can be effective in finding tumors in women at high risk for breast cancer.(4) Approximately 8.5 million women are at high risk for breast cancer in the United States.

As breast MRI gains acceptance as a highly effective diagnostic tool, imaging centers need more advanced and efficient tools for performing and interpreting these important studies. Once diagnostic and interventional studies are acquired in the MRI suite they can be sent to CADstream, where the studies are automatically processed for interpretation, interventional planning and reporting by the radiologist.

Access Breast Coil

The Access Breast Coil, with its 7-channel phased array design for parallel imaging, provides a large field of view of the breast, chest wall and axillary tissue. The coil's open design allows for flexible interventional procedures from the lateral, medial and cranial-caudal directions. Access provides optimized ergonomics with customized positioning accessories. The Access Breast Coil is designed to be compatible with Siemens 1.5T scanners. A 4-channel version of the Access Breast Coil is currently under clinical investigation.

About Confirma, Inc.

Confirma, Inc. develops and markets computer-aided-detection (CAD) systems and accessories for medical imaging. CADstream(TM) is the standard in CAD for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CADstream automates the processing of MRI studies, providing higher quality imaging studies, lower costs for radiology practices and improved communication tools for physicians and patients. In its initial application, CADstream is being used to assist in the analysis, interventional guidance and reporting of breast MRI studies. CADstream is DICOM 3.0 compliant, allowing integration with any MRI scanner and PACS. Confirma has established partnerships with companies including GE Healthcare, Hologic, iCAD and Vital Images. Confirma has partnered with hundreds of imaging centers and corporate partners worldwide since 2003, helping develop more standardized, high performance breast MRI programs that deliver premium patient care. For more information, visit www.confirma.com or call 877-811-2356.

(1) MRI Census Market Summary Report, June 2002. IMV Medical Information Division, Des Plaines, IL.

(2) Tillman, Gayle F. Effect of Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging on the Clinical Management of Women with Early-Stage Breast Carcinoma. J Clin Onc. 2002; 16:3413-3423.

(3) Smith RA, Saslow D, Sawyer KA, et al. American Cancer Society Guidelines for Breast Cancer Screening: Update 2003. Cancer J Clin. 2003; 53:141-169.

(4) Liberman, L, et al. Breast Cancer Screening with MRI -- What are the data for patients at high risk? The New England Journal of Medicine. 2004;351:497-500.