Study On FONAR Stand-up MRI Published in Peer-reviewed Journal; Author Cites Diagnostic Superiority of New Stand-Up MRI over Conventional MRIs.

Business Editors, Health/Medical Writers

MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2003

FONAR Corporation (NASDAQ:FONR), The MRI Specialist(TM), announced today the publication of a study to demonstrate the general practical utility of FONAR's Stand-Up(TM) MRI. Reprints of the article were provided to visitors at FONAR's exhibit at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) held last month.

The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the general utility of the first dedicated MRI unit enabling upright, weight-bearing positional evaluation of the spinal column (pMRI(TM)) during various dynamic-kinetic maneuvers (kMRI(TM)) in patients with degenerative conditions of the spine. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal, Rivista di Neuroradiologia, Volume 15, p. 333-356, 2002. Professor Marco Leonardi of Bologna, Italy, is the editor of this respected imaging publication. Dr. Michele Garlisi provided the support for the publication of this article through an educational grant from Bracco SPA, Milan, Italy.

Nine authors contributed to the study. The lead author, Professor J. Randy Jinkins, M.D., FACR, FEC, is currently Director of Craniospinal Anatomic Imaging Research, Department of Radiological Sciences, at the Medical College of Philadelphia-Hahnemann, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. There are 49 MRI images of the spine obtained by the FONAR Stand-Up(TM) MRI and 12 diagrams showing the effects of the weight-bearing condition on the spine.

Dr. Jinkins, who spoke to visitors at FONAR's booth at the RSNA twice each day, told them, "Mid-field (0.6 T) may prove to be the optimal field strength for routine, anatomic MR imaging of the spinal column in degenerative (as well as other) spinal disease categories. Furthermore, it may prove to be efficacious to incorporate positional/kinetic MRI (p/k MRI) as a part of the diagnosis-treatment paradigm in patients with spinal and radicular pain syndromes."

Dr. Jinkins continued, "Mid-field MRI may be the optimal field strength for evaluation of degenerative disease of the spine because: Magnetic susceptibility artifact (directly related to field strength) is much reduced, Chemical shift artifact (also directly related to field strength) is much reduced, and Motion artifact is routinely much less than that experienced when using high-field units. For these reasons, the combined artifact is much less at mid-field than at high-field, while diagnostic accuracy is improved overall."

"In addition, I have experienced no difficulties in terms of diagnostic accuracy because of any perceived difference in image resolution between high- and mid-field imaging with regard to degenerative disease of the spine," said Dr. Jinkins.

Reprints of the article are available from the FONAR Sales Department.

Be sure to visit Fonar's Web site for Company product and investor information: www.fonar.com

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