St. Joseph's Health Care London and the Lawson Health Research Institute Acquire Canada's First Breakthrough PET/CT Imaging System for Diagnosing Diseases.

Business/Medical Editors

LONDON, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 2002

New Technology from GE to Aid Doctors

in Earlier, More Accurate Diagnosis

Today, St. Joseph's Health Care London and the Lawson Health Research Institute (LHRI) unveiled a new medical imaging system that will help doctors more precisely visualize and diagnose diseases earlier than ever before. This system, called the GE Discovery LS, is the first-of-its-kind to be installed in Canada. St. Joseph's will begin scanning oncology, cardiac and neurology patients as part of a research program using Discovery LS this fall.

"The LHRI has always been a leader in imaging research, which has translated into better diagnostics and treatments for patients at St. Joseph's," said Dr. Ting-Yim Lee, Scientist at Lawson and Medical Biophysicist at St. Joseph's. "This new innovative equipment will allow us to continue to be at the forefront."

Deemed one of the most significant medical imaging advancements in recent years, the GE Discovery LS combines two advanced technologies to produce medical images that may improve the overall course of treatment for patients in one out of three cases.(1) In a single exam, Discovery LS applies positron emission tomography, or PET, to pinpoint increased metabolic activity, and computed tomography, or CT, to define the anatomical reference of the activity.

For patients who are suspected of having a disease such as heart disease or cancer, the GE Discovery LS gives doctors the potential to learn more information about the extent and location of the disease. In cases where disease is detected, the Discovery LS is an unprecedented tool that aids doctors in targeting treatments and evaluate their effectiveness.

In addition to its diagnostic precision, the GE Discovery LS can significantly reduce the time, expense and anxiety of multiple procedures. With this system, physicians can obtain the functional and anatomical information that they need for a patient in a single exam, as compared to multiple procedures that may take place over the course of days, or even weeks.

Cliff Nordal, CEO of St. Joseph's Health Care London comments, "We are very excited that we are the first hospital in Canada to be able to provide this type of diagnostic technology. This has happened because of a research relationship between St. Joseph's, LHRI and GE.

"The initial phase in introducing this technology will be through clinical research trials. In the future, we anticipate PET/CT scans will become an insured service covered by our provincial health plan."

About Lawson Health Research Institute

The Lawson Health Research Institute (LHRI) in London, Ontario, Canada is the research arm of London Health Sciences Centre, and St. Joseph's Health Care London. The LHRI is one of the three largest hospital-based research institutes in Canada attracting over $50 million each year in research funding.

The LHRI has organized its research into ten multi-disciplinary programs including Advanced Surgical Technologies, Circulation, Child Health Research Institute, Health Outcomes & Health Services Research, Imaging, Metabolism & Diabetes, Neurosciences, Rehabilitation & Geriatric Care, Transplantation, Immunity & Regenerative Medicine and Vascular Biology/Inflammation.

About St. Joseph's Health Care London

St. Joseph's Health Care London with its founding organizations has a distinguished legacy of service to the London community, Southwestern Ontario and the Veterans of Canada. Since its founding by the Sisters of St. Joseph's, the organization has grown into a major patient care, teaching and research centre. Owned and operated by the St. Joseph's Health Care Society, St. Joseph's is incorporated and governed by a volunteer board of directors from our community.

About GE Medical Systems

GE Medical Systems is an $8 billion global leader in medical imaging, healthcare services, and information technology. Its offerings include networking and productivity tools, clinical information systems, patient monitoring systems, surgery and vascular imaging, conventional and digital X-ray, computed tomography, electron beam tomography, magnetic resonance, ultrasound and bone mineral densitometry, positron emission tomography, nuclear medicine, and a comprehensive portfolio of clinical and business services. For more than 100 years, health care providers worldwide have relied on GE Medical Systems for high quality medical technology and productivity solutions. For more information about GE Medical Systems, visit our Web site at www.gemedical.com.

(1) Research conducted at University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland to determine optimal CT parameters in PET/CT fusion for lesion detection and classification. Thirty-two patients with known malignancies were imaged. A total of 173 lesions were detected with improved localization in 57 compared to PET alone.