About ImagifyTM
ImagifyTM is an investigational new drug developed to assess perfusion using ultrasound (or echocardiography) for the detection of coronary heart disease. Myocardial perfusion is blood flow in the heart muscle and is a sensitive marker of coronary heart disease. Currently, perfusion information is not available using cardiac ultrasound but must be obtained using a nuclear stress test, which is the most frequently used imaging procedure for detecting coronary heart disease. Imagify is designed to provide real-time perfusion information with quicker results, lower cost, broader access and no exposure to radiation compared with nuclear stress tests. Imagify was designed to be used with commercially available ultrasound equipment and established imaging techniques.
About CHD
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 16 million people in the United States suffer from coronary heart disease (CHD), the single leading cause of death in the United States. CHD is characterized by the accumulation of plaque, which narrows coronary arteries and reduces blood flow in the heart muscle. The reduced blood flow can cause chest pain, and if the plaque ruptures, it may cause a heart attack. The American Heart Association estimates that the direct and indirect cost of CHD in the United States for 2007 is more than $150 billion.
Early detection of CHD can save lives, reduce treatment costs and improve patients’ quality of life. Two of the most common methods of CHD screening are nuclear stress imaging and stress echocardiography, or “stress echo”—ultrasound of the heart. In 2006, more than 10 million of these screening procedures were performed in the United States, including more than seven million nuclear stress tests and nearly three million stress echo procedures. |
