Latest IMV Market Report Shows Continued Demand for High Field MRI Systems.

DES PLAINES, Ill. -- According to IMV's recent census of MRI sites in the U.S., an estimated 26.6 million MRI procedures were performed at 7,225 sites in 2006. This represents a 10% increase from 24.2 million in 2003, for an average annualized rate of 3% per year. Compared to 2003, the biggest areas of procedure growth include "brain," "spine," and "vascular (MRAs)" studies.

"Technology developments that enhance clinical applications will be critical to driving MRI market demand. High field MRI systems with field strengths of 1.5T or above are the most favored configurations, with 1.5T units accounting for 78% and very high field strength units of >1.5T accounting for 12% of the MRI units installed in 2006," observed Lorna Young, Senior Director, Market Research at IMV. "With the implementation of Medicare reimbursement rate cuts under the Deficit Reduction Act taking effect this month, hospital-based MRI departments will most likely replace and expand their clinical capabilities, while the independent imaging centers may be delaying purchases, as they evaluate the impact of the DRA on their operations."

IMV's 2006 MRI Market Summary Report describes trends in procedure utilization, the MRI installed base and purchase plans, workstations, contrast media utilization and budgets, power injectors, and site operations characteristics. The report also covers adoption trends of new procedures such as echo planar imaging, MR spectroscopy, cardiac-approved MRI, functional MRI, and multi-channel MRI. Highlights include:

* Just over half, 53%, of future fixed MRI purchases are planned to be "replacement" of existing units, 13% "first buyer" and 34% "additional" systems.

* In 2006, 84% of all MRI procedures were performed on an outpatient basis vs. 16% inpatient.

* Of the MRI procedures performed in 2006, 12.1 million, or 45%, used contrast media.

* The average replacement cycle for an MRI is 8.1 years.

The data source for this report is IMV's 2006/07 MRI Census Database, which provides comprehensive profiles of hospital and non-hospital MRI sites in the United States. The database can be licensed by qualified subscribers and includes contact and site-specific information. Applications of the database include market analysis, market development, target marketing, lead generation, installed base marketing programs, sales territory deployment and competitive analysis. IMV also performs customized analysis of the statistics to address specific provider or vendor analytical requirements.

For more information about IMV's MRI Census Database and Market Summary Report, visit the corporate website at www.imvinfo.com or call 847-297-1404 to speak with a representative.

IMV is a market research consulting firm founded in 1977 specializing in medical imaging and other advanced healthcare technology markets. IMV's marketing consulting services, in combination with our census databases of U.S. imaging sites with selected modalities, provide clients valuable assistance in strategic planning, customer satisfaction, product development and sales initiatives.