MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vital Images, Inc. , a leading provider of enterprise-wide advanced visualization software, and Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Toshiba), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, today announced the release of SUREPlaque coronary plaque characterization software. Developed through a technical collaboration between Vital Images and Toshiba, SUREPlaque is designed to aid in the evaluation and characterization and quantification of plaque inside the coronary arteries.
“Through our long-term partnership with Vital Images, we have focused on the development of fast and easy-to-use advanced visualization tools designed specifically to optimize cardiac imaging for the evaluation of coronary arteries,” said Toshihiro Rifu, general manager, CT Business Unit, TMSC. “The result of this commitment to improving coronary artery imaging, SUREPlaque is a natural and complementary part of the workflow that already exists to evaluate vessel stenosis.”
Under the partnership agreement, SUREPlaque is available on Vital Images’ Vitrea(R) software, version 3.9, which features significant enhancements to Vital Images’ dedicated cardiac visualization applications. Although compatible with cardiac images from any CT (computed tomography) scanner, SUREPlaque was developed and validated exclusively on Toshiba CT images. Featuring improved integration between Vitrea and SUREPlaque, the coronary plaque characterization software is designed to provide color coding of vessel walls, noncalcified and calcified plaque for easy reference and viewing. Enhancements include improved visualization of lesion boundaries and plaque types with automated measurement and quantification tools. For Toshiba CT images, there are additional functionalities, including measuring plaque burden.
In addition to SUREPlaque, Vitrea 3.9 incorporates new tools for probing coronary arteries, as well as increased capacity for handling large datasets.
“Vital Images continuously strives to offer the most comprehensive advanced visualization tools that help clinicians make better clinical decisions and improve workflow. We strongly believe that the strategic partnership with Toshiba has resulted in the development of one of the most important new tools in cardiac imaging,” said Susan A. Wood, Ph.D., executive vice president of marketing and clinical development for Vital Images. “With quantification tools that go well beyond color coding and positive remodeling indexing, SUREPlaque not only detects plaque deposits in the lumen, but also within the vessel wall, making it one of the most advanced tools to characterize coronary vessels available.”
According to Dr. Wood, Vital Images and Toshiba are preparing validation studies to clinically evaluate SUREPlaque against plaque measurement tools such as Virtual Histology and Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS).
About Vitrea(R)
Vitrea(R) software is Vital Images’ advanced visualization solution that creates 2D, 3D and 4D images of human anatomy from CT (computed tomography) and MR (magnetic resonance) image data. Vitrea uses an intuitive clinical workflow and automation to improve speed to clinical decisions and workflow simplicity over other visualization techniques. With these productivity- enhancing tools, physicians can easily navigate within these images to better understand disease conditions. Vitrea addresses specialists’ needs through various clinical applications for cardiac, colon, and general vascular analysis.
About Toshiba
With headquarters in Tustin, Calif., Toshiba America Medical Systems markets, sells, distributes and services diagnostic imaging systems, and coordinates clinical diagnostic imaging research for all modalities in the United States. Toshiba Medical Systems Corp., an independent group company of Toshiba Corp., is a global leading provider of diagnostic medical imaging systems and comprehensive medical solutions, such as CT, Cath & EP Labs, X- ray, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine, MRI and information systems. Toshiba Corp. is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems. Toshiba has approximately 161,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of $54 billion.
About Vital Images, Inc.
Vital Images, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, is a leading provider of enterprise-wide advanced visualization software solutions. The company’s technology gives radiologists, cardiologists, oncologists and other medical specialists time-saving productivity and communications tools that can be accessed throughout the enterprise and via the Web for easy use in the day-to- day practice of medicine. For more information, visit http://www.vitalimages.com .
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This information includes estimates of 2006 GAAP and non-GAAP results. These statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause results to differ materially from those projected, including but not limited to dependence on market growth, the timely availability and acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, dependence on major customers, fluctuations in quarterly results, third-party reimbursement, the impact of changes to stock-based compensation pursuant to FASB’s statement of financial accounting standards No. 123R, and other risks detailed from time to time in Vital Images’ SEC reports, including its most recent report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.
Aquilion(TM) and SUREPlaque(TM) are trademarks of Toshiba Medical Systems Company.
Vital Images, Inc.
CONTACT: Michael H. Carrel, Chief Operating Officer and Chief FinancialOfficer of Vital Images: +1-952-487-9500, or, Charlene Jacobs, Manager,Public Relations and Communications of Toshiba, +1-714-669-7811
