TUSTIN, Calif., Nov. 3, 2005 - Leading the industry in advanced technologies that aid the early detection of breast cancer, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. (TAMS) today announced the availability of the new Breast SPEEDER coil, an advanced seven-channel coil that allows for improved diagnosis and interventional breast procedures using the Vantage magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system.

Breast imaging using MRI technology is 40 percent more effective at uncovering invasive breast cancer when compared with mammography, the current gold standard, and is able to image the breast without risk of radiation. In addition, the use of MR technology allows improved screening, detection, staging and intervention, improving the delivery of care and the patient experience.

"Early detection of breast cancer is critical for survival, so a technology like MRI that is designed to discover early disease has dramatically improved the level of care we are able to deliver," said Dr. Mark L. Winkler, director of MRI, Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging Centers. "MRI has been validated as a valuable tool in the early diagnosis of breast cancer and allows us to discover cancers that would have been missed by physical exam and mammography."
The coil, which is available on Toshiba's entire Vantage product line, including the AGV, MGV, XGV and will be available on the ZGV (work-in-progress), boasts a interventional-friendly design that allows clinicians to easily perform lateral and medial MRI-guided interventions through open lateral sides.

Interventional workstations also can be employed to increase accuracy when performing interventional breast procedures. Compared to current breast coils, this SPEEDER coil can accommodate breasts up to 30 percent larger.

According to Bob Giegerich, director, MR Business Unit, TAMS, breast cancer continues to be a hot topic in medical imaging and a major focus for Toshiba. "The availability of our new seven-channel Breast SPEEDER coil will now allow clinicians to easily and accurately evaluate patients suspected of having breast cancer using just one modality and without sacrificing clinical performance."

The Vantage features an ultra-short magnet at 140 cm with linear 30 mT/m (milliTesla per meter) gradient strength with a slew rate of 50 T/m/s (Tesla per meter per second) (AGV), 86 T/m/s (MGV) or 130 T/m/s XGV). Despite the short length of the magnet, the system delivers the highest homogeneity of any magnet in the industry over the full 50 cm diameter spherical volume (DSV).

The Vantage also offers some of the most advanced MRI applications available on the market today, including optional packages for cardiac imaging, advanced Echo Planar Imaging (EPI), Perfusion and Diffusion Imaging, Peripheral MRA, and SuperFASE (Fast Advanced Spin Echo) imaging. In addition, Toshiba has pioneered research into contrast-free MRA with its Fresh Blood Imaging (FBI) protocol and Body Diffusion.

With Toshiba's patented Pianissimo technology, which reduces acoustic noise by as much as 90 percent, the Vantage dramatically reduces the most significant cause of patient discomfort and enables clinicians to better utilize all of the system's high-field MRI capabilities including SPEEDER parallel imaging for increased acquisition speed that reduces examination times.

For more information about the Vantage, TAMS and its wide range of medical imaging products, visit www.medical.toshiba.com.

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