HAIFA, Israel, Nov. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- InSightec's ExAblate(R) 2000 Magnetic Resonance guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) system will be publicly featured for the first time at the 90th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. The meeting will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, November 28 - December 4, 2004. Elbit Medical Imaging Ltd. and General Electric are significant shareholders in InSightec.
The ExAblate 2000 System will be exhibited at the GE Healthcare MR booth, #3700 and GE Women's Healthcare booth # 3300. Clinical results from the trial supporting FDA approval and research into additional applications will also be the topic of a press conference Monday, November 29 at 1:30 pm.
On October 22, 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the ExAblate 2000 System for the treatment of uterine fibroids. It expedited its review of the device because "it offers significant advantages over existing treatments for uterine fibroids." ExAblate uses a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner to identify tissues in the body and assist in planning treatment. During the non-invasive surgical procedure, delivery of high intensity focused ultrasound energy is guided and controlled using MR thermal imaging, which allows the physician to monitor and adjust the treatment to ensure that the targeted tumor is fully treated and all non targeted tissue is spared.
During the conference the following talks and sessions will focus on the clinical results of the PMA study and other research activities:
- "High Intensity Focused Ultrasound" at a Plenary Session entitled "Image-Guided Cancer Therapy: The Present and Future Opportunity" (Code SFFO8). - A retrospective analysis of Phase III trial data correlating volume change and non-perfusion treatment volumes (Code SSQ03-07). - A retrospective analysis of Phase III trial data correlating efficacy of MRgFUS treatment for uterine fibroids with patients' menstrual cycles (Code SSM03-01). - Feasibility of DWI and ADC mapping following MRgFUS treatment (Code SSQ03-06). - A poster session comparing MRgFUS and UAE in management of menorrhagia (Code 1536VI-p). - An educational exhibit discussing patient selection criteria for MRgFUS (Code 0515OBe). About InSightec
InSightec Image Guided Treatment Ltd. is a privately held company owned by Elbit Medical Imaging (EMI), General Electric, private investors and employees. It was founded in 1999 to develop the breakthrough MR guided Focused Ultrasound technology and transform it into the next generation operating room. Headquartered near Haifa, Israel, the company has over 80 employees and has invested more than $60 million in research, development, and clinical investigations. Its U.S. headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas. ExAblate was awarded the 2004 grand prize of the IST (Information Society Technologies) of the European Union for innovation and potential to serve mankind and was the overall bronze winner of the 2004 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award. For more information, please go to: http://www.insightec.com/.
About EMI
EMI is a subsidiary of Europe Israel (M.M.S.) Ltd. and focuses on four main fields of operations: Commercial and Entertainment Malls through its subsidiary Plaza Centers; the Hotel segment through its subsidiary Elscint Ltd.; image guided treatment through InSightec; and venture capital investments in the biotechnology and communication business.
About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that will shape a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare's expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceuticals is dedicated to detecting disease earlier and tailoring treatment for individual patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of services to improve productivity in healthcare and enable healthcare providers to better diagnose, treat and manage patients with conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer's and cardiovascular is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company that is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 42,500 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our Web site at http://www.gehealthcare.com/
InSightec Image Guided Treatment LtdCONTACT: InSightec, Tel: +972-4-813-1329, info@insightec.com; LauraYoshida of Lazar Partners, +1-212-867-1762, lyoshida@lazarpartners.com, forInSightec