Toshiba Demonstrates Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring for Early Detection of Heart Disease.

Health/Medical Writers

ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--March 16, 2000

At the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. (TAMS) exhibited VScore(TM), the company's coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) for the Aquilion(TM) and Asteion(TM) computed tomography (CT) systems.

Clinicians using this package have the ability to detect heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, at its earliest stages.

"As the U.S. population ages, the incidence of heart disease will continue to rise. This means that more advanced imaging techniques for the efficient, cost-effective detection and treatment of coronary conditions is vital.

"With VScore clinicians using our helical and multi-slice CT technologies can perform more advanced cardiac studies," said Charles Corogenes, director, CT Business Unit, Toshiba America Medical Systems.

The VScore software enables physicians to use helical CT images to quickly and easily quantify calcium deposits in the coronary arteries, making it a valuable tool for the early detection of coronary artery disease.

According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 12 million people in the United States have a history of heart attack and/or chest pain. Many others have asymptomatic coronary heart disease. This year, more than one million Americans will experience an initial or recurrent heart attack.

The estimated cost of heart disease in the United States in 1999 was approximately $183 billion in healthcare expenditures and lost productivity.

The Vitrea(R) workstation and the VScore package are compatible with Toshiba's Aquilion, the industry's first one-half second helical whole-body CT system, which was specifically engineered for multi-slice imaging applications. The software also is available for Asteion, Toshiba's sub-second, premium CT scanner.

Toshiba currently licenses the Vitrea workstation and software package, as well as the VScore application, from Vital Images, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn.

With headquarters in Tustin, Calif., Toshiba America Medical Systems is a subsidiary of Toshiba America Inc., which employs 10,000 throughout the United States. TAMS markets, sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging (DI) systems and coordinates clinical DI research.

Toshiba's imaging products include CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, and both conventional and vascular X-ray systems. Toshiba America MRI Inc., in South San Francisco, has responsibility for research and development, engineering and manufacturing of diagnostic imaging equipment in the United States.

Toshiba Corp. is a major provider of electronics and energy systems and products -- a $43 billion organization with more than 198,000 employees worldwide.