IMRIS Receives FDA Clearance for 3 Tesla IMRISneuro

WINNIPEG, Dec 18, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- IMRIS Inc. ("IMRIS" or the "Company") today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Company's 3 Tesla IMRISneuro for sale in the U.S. IMRISneuro is now available with either a 1.5 Tesla (1.5T) or a 3 Tesla (3T) magnet. Both systems provide IMRIS' patented technology and utilize 70 cm wide bore advanced magnetic resonance imaging systems from Siemens.

The 3T IMRISneuro provides higher quality advanced imaging techniques for surgical planning such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), functional MRI and spectroscopy as well as superior quality vascular imaging in a robust platform specifically designed for use in an operating room. This additional system provides hospitals with more choice to meet the unique and growing needs of intraoperative and interventional imaging.

"Just three years after the successful commercialization of our first advanced intraoperative imaging product, IMRIS continues to revolutionize the field with this latest addition of a 3T wide bore magnet to the IMRISneuro family of surgical imaging solutions," said David Graves, President and CEO of IMRIS. "We believe the 3T IMRISneuro system is the most advanced surgical imaging technology available today, providing physicians with timely access to information that can measurably improve the outcome of interventional and surgical procedures."

source: IMRIS Inc.

ContextVision Enters Interventional Radiology Market

BOSTON, Mass. and CHICAGO, Illinois and STOCKHOLM, Sweden – November 30, 2008 – At RSNA today, ContextVision, the software imaging partner for the most recognized medical imaging manufacturers worldwide, will introduce GOPView® iRVPlus, a new image enhancement and dose reduction software package for interventional radiology.

Clinical teams rely on this type of tool during fluoroscopy procedures, such as angioplasty or stent replacement, during which real-time images are used to guide catheters to the target location. GOPView iRVPlus relies on a continuous adaptive filtration method to analyze every pixel in an image, giving every structure in the image the same level of analysis. This rotationally invariant process guarantees that all objects, independent of position and orientation, receive the highest level of image enhancement possible. This eliminates the risk of critical information being overlooked during a procedure, leading to higher clinical value.

source: Contextvision

Nearly Three-Quarters of Symptomatic Women Are Candidates for Focused Ultrasound Fibroid Therapy: Presented at RSNA

Ed Susman

CHICAGO -- December 1, 2008 -- Approximately 73% of women who present with uterine fibroid symptomatology are eligible candidates for treatment using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS), researchers reported here at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 94th Annual Meeting.

The most frequent reason for disqualification from the procedure was a finding of adenomyosis, a condition that is not amenable to current ablation procedures.

"The ability for physicians to be able to advise patients of their suitability for magnetic resonance focus ultrasound is critical to the success of the procedure," said Suzanne LeBlang, MD, University MRI & Diagnostic Imaging, affiliated with Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida.

source: Doctors Guide

Radiologists Diagnose and Treat Self-Embedding Disorder in Teens

CHICAGO — Minimally invasive, image-guided treatment is a safe and precise method for removal of self-inflicted foreign objects from the body, according to the first report on "self-embedding disorder," or self-injury and self-inflicted foreign body insertion in adolescents. The findings will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"Radiologists are in a unique position to be the first to detect self-embedding disorder, make the appropriate diagnosis and mobilize the healthcare system for early and effective intervention and treatment," said the study's principal investigator, William E. Shiels II, D.O., chief of the Department of Radiology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

source: RSNA