SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- R2 Technology, Inc., the leader in computer aided detection (CAD) technology for the earlier detection of cancer, today announced the launch of its new, innovative pulmonary artery patency exam (PE(TM)) tool, designed to help physicians more accurately and efficiently detect potential pulmonary artery obstructions, or “filling defects,” such as emboli or tumors, during review of multi-slice CT (MSCT) exams. A recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association recommends computed tomography (CT) as the preferred method for ruling out pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism -- a blood clot in the pulmonary artery -- is a common and potentially lethal condition that affects approximately 600,000 Americans each year, resulting in more than 60,000 deaths annually, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Research has shown that pulmonary embolism is not diagnosed in up to 84 percent of associated deaths.
The pulmonary artery PE(TM) filling defect detection tool, recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is now offered with the company’s new ImageChecker(R) CT Lung Version 2.0 CAD system, which helps physicians assess the lungs on MSCT exams. Clinical data presented at the 2004 European Congress of Radiology showed that R2’s pulmonary artery PE(TM) tool achieved a sensitivity of 88 percent for detection of segmental pulmonary embolism and 78 percent for detection of subsegmental pulmonary emboli, with an average of four false CAD marks per normal case.
R2 Technology’s unique pulmonary artery PE(TM) tool examines patency following an MSCT pulmonary angiogram. R2 Technology’s proprietary algorithm analyzes the MSCT image data and performs a sophisticated anatomical segmentation process, providing automatic calculations of vessel diameter, percent occlusion and size of the detected obstruction.
“Radiologists typically review hundreds of images for a multi-slice CT scan obtained for patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. With CAD, this process should become more accurate and efficient, thus improving patient outcomes,” said Michael B. Gotway, M.D., Acting Chief, Department of Radiology, San Francisco General Hospital and Vice-Chair for the Department of Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco, which uses R2 Technology’s pulmonary artery PE(TM) tool as part of the ImageChecker CT Lung Version 2.0 CAD system.
“Multi-slice CT is helping to improve detection of pulmonary artery obstructions, such as emboli, but physicians are challenged to review the enormous number of images produced for each patient exam,” said John Pavlidis, R2 Technology’s president and chief executive officer. “Our new pulmonary artery PE(TM) tool, used with R2’s ImageChecker CT Lung CAD system, helps physicians increase their accuracy and efficiency in assessing pulmonary artery patency by serving as a ‘second set of eyes’ during CT readings. This new feature offers physicians the most comprehensive CAD solution for chest CT evaluation and extends our CAD leadership and expertise into the assessment of pulmonary artery patency.”
About R2 Technology, Inc.
R2 Technology, Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is a recognized leader in the development and commercialization of computer aided detection (CAD), an innovative technology that assists radiologists in the early detection of breast cancer, actionable lung nodules and other lung abnormalities. As a medical software company, R2 Technology is developing CAD systems for a variety of imaging modalities and disease states. R2 recently received the “A” rating from MD Buyline and was given the Frost and Sullivan Product Leadership Award. For more information, visit www.r2tech.com or call 866-243-2533.
NOTE: ImageChecker is a registered trademark of R2 Technology, Inc.
R2 Technology, Inc.
CONTACT: Tracy Morris, +1-650-473-1272 or tracy@morrismarcom.com, for R2Technology, Inc.
Web site: http://www.r2tech.com/