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Journal of the American College of Cardiology Publishes Two Studies Demonstrating Effectiveness of Imatron's Ultrafast CT in Cardiac Diagnosis
Business Wire - February 16, 1999 08:30
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 16, 1999--
Mayo Clinic Authors Describe Cost-Effectiveness of Coronary Artery Scanning to Verify Severe Heart Disease
Imatron Inc. (Nasdaq:IMAT) announced today the publication of two major new studies from the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Mayo Clinic in the February 1999 edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. John Rumberger, currently with Diagnostic Cardiovascular Consultants, Inc., in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues examined total costs, cost-effectiveness and the overall predictive values of commonly used cardiac testing methods in comparison with Coronary Artery Scanning by Imatron's Ultrafast CT(R). The study's authors developed a theoretical model incorporating published results from coronary angiography, treadmill exercise testing, stress echocardiography and stress thallium (nuclear medicine) tests and applied the model to the diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease in various segments of the at-risk population. While demonstrating similar or superior overall predictive values for EBCT over conventional testing methods, the authors concluded that using the Coronary Artery Scan by Ultrafast CT as the "initial testing noninvasive approach, minimized direct costs and maximized cost-effectiveness in population groups with low to moderate disease prevalence." In every scenario considered, the EBCT coronary calcium score provided notable improvement over other tests commonly used today.
Dr. Axel Schmermund, at the University Clinic in Essen, Germany, led a second study to define an algorithm to identify symptomatic patients with the most severe obstructive disease. By analyzing scores from EBCT testing together with all other risk factors in a group of 291 patients undergoing coronary angiography, the author derived a "noninvasive index" (NI) which allowed physicians to separate patients with a high probability (65% to 100%) of severe disease from those with a low probability (0% to 5%). This is the first study to ascertain the benefits of noting specific locations of calcified lesions in the coronary artery tree rather than simply deriving a total calcium score for each subject.
Commenting on these two new publications, S. Lewis Meyer, Imatron's CEO said, "Every month we see new evidence and studies published in prestigious, peer-reviewed medical journals which further demonstrate the advances in cost-effective diagnosis made possible by Imatron's Ultrafast CT scanner. We believe that more data will continue to be released and presented to healthcare providers and health insurers, which will continue to prove that accurate quantitation of coronary artery calcium represents the most powerful tool for the identification of individuals with coronary atherosclerosis and the extent of that disease process. Early diagnosis of heart disease will lead to early intervention and ultimately, long term financial savings to the U.S. healthcare system."
Terry Ross, President of Imatron, stated, "I am confident that this continuing and increased medical community awareness and validation of our electron beam tomography (EBT) technology, especially in the area of cost-effective diagnosis, will spur our aggressive sales and marketing initiatives."
Imatron, Inc. is primarily engaged in designing, manufacturing, marketing, and supporting high performance computed tomography (CT) scanners based on the Company's proprietary scanning electron beam technology. Ultrafast CT is a registered trademark of Imatron. Imatron's Ultrafast CT scanner is now in use at major medical centers around the world, including The Mayo Clinic, University of Iowa, National Institutes of Health, UCLA, Stanford University, University of Illinois, The Arizona Heart Institute, The Royal Brompton Hospital in London, Tokyo University Hospital and Beijing Hospital.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations and estimates about the industry in which Imatron operates, the estimated impact of certain technological advances, the estimated impact of published research studies on scanner sales and procedures, as well as management's beliefs and assumptions. It is important to note that the Company's actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others: failed clinical demonstration of certain asserted technological advantages and diagnostic capabilities; reliance on product distributors; competition in the diagnostic imaging market; failure to improve product reliability or introduce new product models and enhancements; delays in production and difficulty in obtaining components and sub-assemblies from limited sources of supply; inability to meet cash-on-delivery or prepayment terms from vendors; determinations by regulatory and administrative government authorities; patent expiration and denial of patent applications; the high cost of the scanner as compared to commercially available CT scanners; and the risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including their reports on Form 10-K for their current fiscal year.
CONTACT: Imatron, Inc.
S. Lewis Meyer, CEO
Gary Brooks, VP Finance/CFO
Robin Kelley, Investor Relations
650/583-9964
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