INDIANOLA, Pa., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- MEDRAD’s innovative product line of endorectal MR coils, eCoil(TM), has received the Frost & Sullivan Product Differentiation Innovation Award for offering “unprecedented” MR imaging of prostate, colon, and cervix regions. “The eCoils offerings are the market leading internal coils for pelvic imaging including prostate, colon, and cervix, used for both 1.0T and 1.5T MR scanners,” writes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Subha B. Basu. “The eCoil line has also expanded into the 3.0T scanner market to include the first prostate coils for the fast-growing 3.0T segment.”
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Frost & Sullivan presents the Award annually to a company that has demonstrated the ability to develop and/or advance products with more innovative capabilities than competing vendors and products. This Award notes expectations that MEDRAD’s eCoil product line will make a significant contribution to healthcare through product performance and rate of technical change.
“We’re very pleased with the recognition that this Frost & Sullivan award brings to our eCoil product line,” said Gary Bucciarelli, senior vice president, Magnetic Resonance Business Unit. “We’ve seen that the more clinicians know about endorectal MR imaging for the prostate, colon, and cervix, the more likely they are to integrate it into their practice. MEDRAD eCoil enhanced images are very accurate and can help physicians consider a wider variety of diagnosis and treatment options.”
The eCoil line was designed by MEDRAD to produce small field-of-view (FOV) and high spatial resolution, sensitivity, and specificity in images of the pelvic region. A high signal-to-noise ratio is achieved by enabling clinicians to position the signal-amplifying elements of the coil closer to the anatomy than is possible with traditional surface coils. The result is very accurate imaging.
The eCoil line consists of disposable endorectal probes that are interfaced using various auto-tuning devices compatible with major manufacturers’ MR scanners. A specific design of probe is available for the anatomical differences of prostate, colorectal, and cervical regions. For more information, visit www.medrad.com/products/mr/mr-coils/ecoil.html .
One emerging application that shows the effectiveness of eCoil technology is prostate MR. According to leading medical researchers, prostate MR can be useful when:
-- A patient has an increasing PSA level and a negative biopsy. The detailed information provided by MRI can lead the doctor to the area most suspect for disease, increasing the chance of obtaining a comprehensive biopsy. -- Determining cancer stage by differentiating between extracapsular and intracapsular extensions and detecting seminal vesicle invasion, that is, whether the cancer has spread beyond the prostate to other tissue. -- A patient is suspected of having local recurrence of prostate cancer, defined as elevated PSA level following radical prostatectomy. MRI can evaluate the periprosthetic bed for abnormal tissue. -- Planning radiation treatment therapy for a patient. It is important that radiation is targeted to the affected area. MRI can provide a clear picture in helping the oncologist guide the therapy that is most suited to a particular patient.
The new MEDRAD 3.0T Prostate eCoil has been singled out for special notice by prostate MR researchers. Dr. Jelle Barentsz, full professor, University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, said, “Using the (MEDRAD) endorectal coil at 3.0T results in such an enormous gain in spatial resolution that accurate detection of extracapsular tumor growth, in the millimeter range, is possible. A definite must for every genito-urinary radiologist.’'
MEDRAD, INC. is a worldwide leading provider of medical devices and services that enable and enhance imaging procedures of the human body. Used in diagnostic imaging, MEDRAD’s product offerings include a comprehensive line of vascular injection systems, magnetic resonance (MR) surface coils and patient care products, and equipment services.
Total 2006 revenues were $478 million. MEDRAD is a 2003 recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the top honor a U.S. company can receive for quality and business excellence. The company’s world headquarters is near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. MEDRAD is a U.S. affiliate of Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany, which is a subsidiary of Bayer AG. More company information is available at www.medrad.com .
Bayer AG is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The Pharmaceuticals division comprises the following business units: Women’s Healthcare, Diagnostic Imaging, Specialized Therapeutics, Hematology/Cardiology, Primary Care, and Oncology. The company’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. The products enhance well-being and quality of life by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements.
Certain statements in this press release that are neither reported financial results nor other historical information are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans or objectives. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can be affected by other factors that could cause actual results and MEDRAD’s plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. MEDRAD, INC. undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information or future events or circumstances or otherwise.
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CONTACT: Dan Dieter of MEDRAD Marketing Services, +1-412-767-2400 ext.3726, or ddieter@medrad.com , or Rajeev Sehgal of MEDRAD MR Business Unit,+1-412-767-2400 ext. 3355, or rsehgal@medrad.com
Web site: http://www.medrad.com/
