Extent of Coronary Artery Calcification Detected by EBT More
Powerful Than Coronary Angiography in Predicting Future
Heart Attacks and Cardiac Death
Imatron Inc. (Nasdaq:IMAT) today announced the publication of a
significant paper from researchers at the Mayo Clinic and the
University of Michigan in Circulation, the weekly journal of the
American Heart Association. In a sophisticated analysis of results in
nearly 300 men and women at high risk for cardiac events, only the
patient's age and the degree of coronary artery calcification measured
by EBT achieved statistical significance in the prediction of future
cardiac events over the ensuing 2 to 10 years. The EBT coronary artery
scan was shown to add unique and valuable prognostic information in
these specific patients. Most importantly, the results clearly
demonstrated the EBT coronary artery scan to be more effective than
the coronary angiogram in predicting subsequent cardiac risk.
It is important to note that 71% of all coronary events occurred
in patients with calcium scores greater than 100, while only one
coronary event occurred among patients in the study group with the
lowest calcium scores. Notably, none of the conventional risk factors,
except age -- not even the findings from the invasive coronary
angiogram -- were significant predictors of future heart attack or
death. The authors concluded that "...this (EBT) test should be
considered in all patients with indications for angiography." They
further commented that although the angiogram is regarded as the "gold
standard" diagnostic modality for the identification of coronary
artery disease, the coronary angiogram "provides no information on
plaque burden other than the extent of luminal obstruction." In
contrast, the EBT coronary artery scan, which sensitively detects and
accurately quantifies coronary artery calcification "may add important
prognostic information and identify the need for aggressive medical
therapy and regular patient follow-up."
John A. Rumberger, MD, PhD, FACC, a pioneer in the research and
application of EBT, and one of the principal authors of the study,
commented, "This long term, follow-up study, largely in patients with
angiographically proven coronary artery disease, underscores the
clinical value of determining baseline plaque burden using the EBT
calcium score as the strongest predictor of future cardiac risk in a
given individual."
S. Lewis Meyer, CEO of Imatron, commented, "Yet another prominent
group of University researchers have come forward to unequivocally
demonstrate the unique predictive power of Imatron's proprietary
electron beam tomography technology. The significance of the specific
recommendation that all patients who are candidates for coronary
angiography should receive EBT scans should not be underestimated. The
EBT coronary artery scan clearly provides new, relevant information
with respect to patient outcomes as compared to the limited,
stenosis-specific diagnostic information provided by coronary
angiography. Such support further underlines the importance of
recently published long-term, peer-reviewed studies validating the
power of the EBT coronary artery scan. Medical acceptance of this
unique technology continues to accelerate, contributing to increased
sales of EBT scanners."
For additional information about Imatron, visit the company's web
site at www.imatron.com.
Imatron Inc. is primarily engaged in designing, manufacturing,
marketing, and servicing high performance electron beam tomography
(EBT) scanners based on the Company's proprietary EBT technology.
Imatron's EBT scanner is now in use at more than 150 major medical
facilities and imaging centers around the world, including
Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, Arizona Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, Edward Cardiovascular Institute,
Hackensack University Medical Center, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Mayo
Clinic, Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL, St. Francis
Hospital, Stanford University, UCLA Medical Center, University of
Illinois, University of Iowa, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center,
Alfried Krupp Krankenhaus, Essen, Landeskrankenhaus in Graz, Austria,
Cardiology Research Centre in Moscow, Russia, FAU Erlangen-Nurnberg in
Erlangen, Germany, Beijing Hospital in China, BodyScan Imaging Center
of Kansas City, BodyScan Imaging Center of Scottsdale, Cardiac Plus,
Cooper Clinic, Heart Savers of Irvine, Holistica Hawaii, ITG/HeartScan
Imaging, LifeScore of San Diego, Michigan Heart Imaging, Ohio Heart,
University HeartScan of Manhattan, VITASCAN Mobile EBT, and Vital
Imaging (La Jolla, Dallas, Houston and Orange County). |
