Toshiba proceeds with international cardiac CT study

Toshiba Medical Systems Corp. is commencing a multi-center clinical study on coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) imaging using 64-slice CT technology that strives to validate the use of multislice CT for diagnostic cardiac imaging.  
   
In November, Toshiba launched CorE 64 (Coronary Evaluation on 64), an international collaboration with its hospital partners to investigate the use of multislice CT as the primary diagnostic tool for detecting cardiovascular diseases and disorders, as compared to cardiac catheterization.  
   
The CorE 64 multi-center study participants include: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands; Humboldt University, Campus Charité Mitte in Germany; INCOR Heart Institute of the School of Medicine Hospital, Sao Paulo University in Brazil; and Iwate Medical University in Japan.
   
Philips said each site is ready to conduct patient evaluations on its Aquilion CFX 64-slice CT to initiate the next step in the CorE 64 multi-center study.
   
The patient evaluations will involve non-invasive diagnostic imaging of cardiac patients using Toshiba's CT technologies, such as the 64-row quantum Detector and SURECardio and SUREPlaque applications, for a period of several months. Regular meetings will take place with the study group to measure and discuss the clinical effectiveness of cardiac CT imaging against cardiac catheterizations, Toshiba said.
   
Initial results of the study will be released in 2006, Toshiba said.

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