TORONTO, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ - Sentinelle Medical Inc., a leading manufacturer of breast MRI coils and software and Siemens Healthcare today announced an OEM Distribution Agreement for Sentinelle’s Vanguard(R) coils. Under this agreement, Siemens will sell the “Sentinelle Vanguard for Siemens” coil for the MRI family members MAGNETOM(R) Espree, MAGNETOM(R) Avanto and MAGNETOM(R) Symphony, A Tim(TM) System. The Sentinelle Vanguard for Siemens is also integrated into the new MAGNETOM Espree - Pink, a dedicated system devoted to excellence in MR Breast Care. The Agreement also anticipates future development collaborations.
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. In 2008, 182,460 new cases were diagnosed and 40,480 women died of breast cancer in the US(1). The National Cancer Institute estimates that a woman has a 1-in-8 chance of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. The American Cancer Society’s new screening guidelines will impact up to one million high-risk women by recommending they receive additional annual MRI screenings. A high percentage of these women will benefit from breast MRI.
The Sentinelle Vanguard for Siemens enables excellent quality MR images of the breast and provides complete and open access for intervention with an award winning design that optimizes patient comfort and workflow. The coil is designed with Variable Coil Geometry(TM) (VCG) that allows the coil to accommodate a wide range of patient sizes, and increases signal-to-noise ratio delivering excellent image quality.
Integration into Siemens’ MAGNETOM Espree - Pink
MAGNETOM Espree - Pink combines the 70cm Open-Bore design of the MAGNETOM Espree with the Sentinelle Vanguard solution. The breast coil offers exceptional breast imaging and biopsy access. MAGNETOM Espree - Pink offers unmatched patient comfort, and an innovative workflow pushing MRI Breast Care to the next level.
“Patients are always nervous during breast MRI examinations and biopsies. The biggest advantage in using MAGNETOM Espree and the Sentinelle system is the wide open access,” said Jae K. Kim, MD, PhD, Radiology Limited, Tuscon, Arizona.
“Sentinelle is dedicated to improving breast cancer management, healthcare outcomes and patient experience.” said Cameron Piron, Sentinelle’s President and CEO. “We are extremely pleased to be working with a market leader like Siemens. With this latest distribution agreement, even more women will have access to leading-edge MRI technology.”
“The Sentinelle Vanguard for Siemens provides renowned technology for both imaging and biopsy. This benefits the customer by offering excellent image quality, optimized biopsy access for increased accuracy, and fast examination times for higher patient throughput,” said Walter Märzendorfer, head of Magnetic Resonance, Siemens Healthcare.
About Sentinelle Medical Inc.
Sentinelle Medical is dedicated to improving patient care with early detection and accurate intervention. The company researches, develops, manufactures, sells and supports leading edge Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technologies. The ground breaking Sentinelle Vanguard(R) breast coils provide excellent quality MR images, complete and open access for intervention and award winning design that optimizes patient comfort and workflow. Sentinelle products are used in leading breast cancer and imaging sites throughout North America including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Centre, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute (University of South Florida), Mountain Medical Physician Specialists, Radiology Ltd., Scripps Memorial Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University Health Network and Windsong Radiology Group. Sentinelle Medical is a privately owned Canadian company.
For more information, visit www.sentinellemedical.com.
About Siemens Healthcare
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world’s largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with core competence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens Healthcare is the first integrated healthcare company, bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics, therapy, and healthcare information technology solutions, supplemented by consulting and support services. Siemens Healthcare delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care - from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and care. Additionally, Siemens Healthcare is the global market leader in innovative hearing instruments. The company employs around 49,000 people worldwide and operates in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2008 (Sept. 30), Siemens Healthcare reported sales of euro 11.2 billion, orders of euro 11.8 billion, and Sector profit of euro 1.2 billion. Further information can be found by visiting http://www.siemens.com/healthcare.
CONTACT: Media Contact, Wendy Low, Sentinelle Medical Inc., (416)
482-3823, wendy.low@sentinellemedical.com
