PHILIPS DEVELOPING 3D ROTATIONAL ANGIOGRAPHY WORKSTATION.

Philips Medical Systems, Chicago, Ill., is developing one of the world's most advanced 3D Rotational Angiography (3D-RA)

workstations, which will provide accurate reconstructed 3D images of a person's vascular morphology. Based on the Philips INTEGRIS V Rotational Angiography technique, Philips' INTEGRIS 3D-RA workstation enables extremely small vascular details to be visualized in three dimensions.

The complexity of neuro-interventional procedures lies in the fact that every person's pathology is unique. Visualization in three dimensions is therefore vital to aid decision-making by the clinician. In the past, it was not possible to treat some patients because lack of detailed imaging information meant the interventional treatments posed too great a risk to the patient. In other cases limited imaging information may not have revealed that an alternative treatment, such as a surgical procedure, would have been more appropriate. When the Philips INTEGRIS 3D-RA workstation becomes available, physicians will be able to view high quality, 3D neuro-vascular images in real-time and, as a result, make informed decisions on the most appropriate treatment for the patient.

Philips' INTEGRIS 3D-RA workstation is planned to be the fastest system to reconstruct 3D images in the industry, the first reconstruction taking approximately six minutes (including the image transfer from the acquisition system to the 3D-RA workstation). Additional reconstructions take from 20 seconds to 10 minutes depending on the number of voxels in the volume. The accuracy of reconstruction will allow physicians to analyze complex morphological lesions, such as the shape of an aneurysm, its relation to the parent vessel and the location of small branching arteries. This detailed pre-intervention analysis will provide critical information for treatment, with the potential of improving the outcome of the procedure.

The use of a Philips INTEGRIS 3D-RA workstation will also aid in reducing the dose levels and contrast load needed during an intervention, as the physician will be provided with a 3D view of the patient's vasculature with one single imaging run and one contrast injection. The imaging data is sent directly to the 3D-RA workstation, which reconstructs a complete 3D view of the anatomy in real-time.

The physician can analyze the 3D image directly on the workstation to decide on the best treatment strategy. If an endovascular procedure is deemed most appropriate, the 3D-RA images can help in determining on the best projection angle for the treatment, such as positioning of catheters, coils, balloons or stents. Normally, this search for the best angle would be made with fluoroscopic procedures involving more X-ray dose and higher volumes of contrast media. In addition, the 3D-RA workstation will enable clinicians to carry out a reconstructed zoom of an image, to several sizes and at any location to obtain smaller, detailed structures.

Prof. Jacques Moret, a leading neuro-interventionalist, of the Fondation A. De Rothschild, Paris, France commented, "After using the Philips system, we now know that this technique is already the most important development that has occurred since digital angiography was developed in 1981." Prof. Moret continued, "There is no doubt that aneurysms are the ideal vascular malformations to check the potential of 3D-RA, however this technique is also significant in other fields, such as brain AVMs and carotid stenosis. Our excellent experience with this system means we now advocate that Philips' INTEGRIS 3D-RA workstation is mandatory for the treatment of endovascular aneurysms."

This product will be made commercially available in the US upon receipt of FDA clearance.

Philips Medical Systems is a leading supplier of diagnostic imaging systems and related services worldwide, employing 11,800 people in more than 100 countries.

Philips' products are backed by a worldwide network of research and development and sales and service organizations.

Philips Medical Systems is part of Royal Philips Electronics, one of the world's largest electronics companies. Additional information on Philips Medical Systems can be obtained by accessing its homepage at http://www.medical.philips.com Royal Philips Electronics of The Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies, with sales of over $39 billion in 1997. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, home telephony products, electric shavers and recorded music (Polygram). Its 264,700 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of semiconductors and components, consumer products, professional products and systems, lighting, and software and services. Philips is quoted on the NYSE, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges.

For more information, call 203-926-7475.