Philips Unveils Next Generation of Digital Imaging Technologies at the European Congress of Radiology Annual Meeting
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 2004--
New Products Enhance Image Acquisition Speed, Enabling More Efficient Patient Care
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) today introduced new digital imaging technologies that will enable medical professionals to deliver faster diagnoses and more targeted treatment plans, while enhancing efficiency in the imaging suite. These new products, including the world's first and only 40-slice CT scanner, are designed to deliver better diagnostic image quality, while improving the workflow of the department and potentially reducing costs. Philips will showcase several of these new products, including the Brilliance CT family, Intera Achieva family of MR scanners, Allura Xper FD20 interventional X-ray system, Gemini PET/CT featuring the technology of the Brilliance 16 Power configuration, Philips PACS release 10 and iU22, a new ultrasound system, during the European Congress of Radiology annual meeting (March 5th-9th, Vienna).
"Our customers are continually asking for technologies and services that will help them enhance their efficiency and reduce costs," said Tom Egelund, CEO, Philips Medical Systems EMEA.
"At ECR this year we are introducing a series of new products that address these concerns and simultaneously improve patient care." At ECR booth #208, Hall B, Philips will showcase the following Vequion competent digital imaging products:
-- iU22, Philips brand new ultrasound system, delivers revolutionary performance with the latest breakthroughs in high definition imaging and diagnostic capability. In one ultrasound system, clinicians get improved exam efficiency, greater automation and ease of use;
-- Brilliance CT, a family of computed tomography (CT) scanners and the industry's first and only 40-slice CT scanner, providing unprecedented coverage, resolution, and speed to expand clinical boundaries in cardiac imaging, pulmonary imaging, brain perfusion for stroke assessment and CT Angiography;
-- Achieva family of MR scanners, a completely new range of MR scanners with Freewave scalable 32-channel architecture that enables a new dimension in intelligent MR with scanning up to 8 times faster, expanded applications and enhanced workflow;
-- Allura Xper FD20, the latest flat detector for interventional X-ray with the unique 2k(2) imaging chain and Xper user interface, which sets a new standard in image quality. The FD20 leverages Philips Xper technology that customizes workflow through preferred user settings;
-- Philips PACS release 10 combines the freedom of a web-based PACS with the robust performance of a powerful client-server PACS, enabling clinicians to access tools and information enterprise-wide as well as outside hospital firewalls;
-- Gemini PET/CT with Brilliance 16 Power technology, a high performance PET/CT system that offers advanced operational capabilities and exceptional throughput, while addressing key patient and clinician requirements;
-- OmniDiagnost Eleva, the only Eleva system which has integrated digital tomography. Like other members of Philips Eleva family, the system allows clinicians to conduct analysis, measurements and reconstructions in the control room;
-- DigitalDiagnost, multi-purpose single detector solution, the new milestone within the Philips DigitalDiagnost portfolio, combining the most advanced image processing capabilities with excellent ergonomics, outstanding image quality and seamless digital workflow.
iU22
Philips iU22 ultrasound system, the company's new 'flagship' ultrasound product for general imaging, delivers revolutionary performance through the latest breakthroughs in high definition imaging and diagnostic capabilities. With this single ultrasound system, clinicians can improve exam efficiency while experiencing greater automation and ease of use. The iU22 is the first premium ultrasound system to have fully integrated 2D, 3D and real-time 4D imaging modes, as well as multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) resolution that rivals acquired 2D plane definition.
Philips worked with clinicians to create the iU22, which features a mobile premium platform with advanced ergonomics and patient viewing capability. These enhancements -- coupled with a powerful computer architecture -- provide advanced imaging capabilities with a new, lighter, more ergonomic family of ultrasound transducers.
"We are excited to showcase the iU22 to the global medical community during this year's ECR meeting," said Barbara Franciose, CEO, ultrasound, Philips Medical Systems. "This system provides clinicians and administrators with many of the capabilities they have been asking for - faster patient throughput, more diagnostic capability, simplified system control and broader clinical application."
Philips Brilliance CT Family
Based on extensive research and collaboration with customers, Philips has extended its IDT platform to include the new Philips Brilliance CT systems. Providing in-depth information nearly three times faster than any other multi-slice scanner, the high-performance Brilliance CT systems offer significant advancements in user-interface design to help speed diagnosis and increase clinical confidence. The additional coverage and acquisition speed provided by the systems create a new realm of clinical applications for CT, including enhanced organ perfusion studies, coronary artery imaging, pulmonary imaging and critical care. Able to reconstruct up to 40 images per second, the Brilliance 40-slice significantly improves coronary artery imaging, advanced lung imaging and organ perfusion studies.
"The vivid visualizations and expanded coverage areas made possible by Philips Brilliance CT 40-slice technology offer unparalleled blood flow tracking in critical areas including the heart," said Dr. Nathan Peled, radiologist, Carmel Hospital, Haifa, Israel. "Speed and accuracy are critical in detecting problem areas and providing the best diagnoses for acutely ill and injured patients. The Brilliance 40-slice creates enhanced scans with improved resolution in half the time as pre-existing 16-slice scanners."
Dr. Peled was the first physician to use the Brilliance 40-slice configuration with patients, and is a speaker at ECR. He will discuss his experience using the Brilliance 40-slice at ECR during the Breakthrough Applications in CT/MR Imaging' symposium on Sunday March 7th at 12:15PM in Room E2.
In addition to the new 40-slice configuration, the Brilliance CT family includes several other scanners, such as the highest performing, new 16-slice system on the market - the Brilliance 16 Power configuration - and the new 6-slice, 10-slice and 16-slice configurations that meet the demands of every multislice CT requirement. Each configuration is fully upgradeable and includes the exclusive Brilliance Workspace, a user environment that enables CT users to manage large amounts of data.
Philips Achieva MR Family
Also being showcased at this year's ECR is the new Achieva family of high-field cylindrical MR systems, which includes 1.5T and 3.0T systems. Achieva provides exceptional scanning speed and expanded applications, heralding a new era in MR systems. The launch of Achieva 3.0T reinforces Philips leadership position in 3.0T clinical MRI using compact magnet technology, as demonstrated by the recent installation of their 50th compact 3.0T system. Achieva 3.0T systems with Philips Quasar Dual gradients are the first in history to feature sub-millisecond TRs.
Achieva systems share the same fundamental design and are built on Philips SENSE technology, enabling scan speed increases up to a factor of eight. New FreeWave technology with scalable 32-channel architecture enables a new dimension in intelligent MR, maximizing imaging speed, quality, breadth of applications and future versatility.
Achieva's MobiScan total body imaging enables head-to-toe scanning in three minutes, and with its unique new MobiFlex feature, clinicians can routinely perform advanced vascular imaging with optimal peripheral angiographic image quality. ExamCards enables clinicians to run entire exams at a single touch, and to customize, create or share ExamCards as desired. Philips will also be presenting the new k-t BLAST technique (k-t space Broad-use Linear Acquisition Speed-up Technique) at ECR 2004, a revolutionary technique being developed in collaboration with IBTZ Zurich (Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Informatics) in Switzerland, that promises to dramatically increase MRI imaging speed. Dr Jeffrey Tsao PhD, IBTZ, will present on k-t BLAST at the Breakthrough applications in CT/MR Imaging symposium on Sunday 7th March at 12:15 PM in Rm E2.
"We are extremely excited about the introduction of the Philips Achieva family to the global market because it allows our customers an unprecedented degree of freedom to expand the clinical applications of MR," said Jacques Coumans, vice president Global Marketing MR, Philips Medical Systems. The first installation of Achieva 1.5T was recently completed at the Universitair Medisch Centrum (UMC) in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Allura Xper FD20
At ECR 2004, Philips is introducing the latest development in interventional X-ray systems - the Allura Xper FD20 - to the market. This system breaks new ground in interventional imaging with a unique 2k(2) digital imaging chain and one-of-a-kind 3D capabilities, providing clinicians with detailed images and enabling them to quickly and easily move through procedures. The Allura Xper FD20 is also prepared for future innovations still in the research phase, such as 3D Roadmapping and Soft Tissue Imaging.
The Allura Xper FD20, a universal flat detector system for interventional radiology, neuroradiology and cardiology, is fully customizable through Xper technology and therefore can improve departmental workflow and efficiency. The system also features unique Xper Access, which enables clinicians to reposition the detector from portrait to landscape allowing all applicational areas to be examined without compromise. Allura Xper FD20 is now commercially available worldwide. Philips
PACS release 10
Eliminating the need for clinicians to access information from only one workstation, Philips PACS now allows clinicians to tailor information and tools and access them from a variety of work stations both inside and outside the hospital. Philips has also enhanced its PACS image and result distribution capabilities through improved central production facilities for off-line media (CD/DVD), integrated e-mail and a more extensive portfolio of web distribution solutions. A new suite of productivity tools and e-learning facilities further supports departmental efficiency. Philips PACS workstations can now be integrated with ViewForum, the company's data management workstation for MR and CT, enabling clinicians to read MR and CT cases and manage large amounts of data more effectively.
GEMINI PET/CT with Brilliance 16 Power technology
Also at ECR, Philips is showcasing its GEMINI PET/CT which features a Brilliance 16 Power CT system, the world's first and only open PET/CT scanner that includes a 16-slice CT option. GEMINI is a high performance system that offers exceptional operational capabilities and throughput, while addressing key patient and clinician requirements. GEMINI's new technology, powered by the Brilliance 16 Power CT system was designed for customers requiring higher performance and a broader range of clinical applications. GEMINI's unique open design ensures patient comfort, while allowing the possibility for interventional studies.
By combining the state-of-the-art imaging capabilities of the ALLEGRO(TM) GSO PET system and the Mx8000 Dual slice scanner or the Brilliance 16 Power system, Philips offers clinicians the ability to acquire exceptional quality functional and anatomical images in one procedure.
OmniDiagnost Eleva
The OmniDiagnost Eleva has recently been launched in Europe and is being showcased at ECR this year. The system combines digital, computed radiography (CR) and conventional imaging applications and can be used in a variety of settings including orthopedics, gastro-intestinal, uro-genital, angiography/interventions and traumatology. OmniDiagnost is also the only Eleva system that has integrated digital tomography. Like other members of the Eleva family, the system allows clinicians to conduct analysis, measurements and reconstructions in the control room. If required, the results can be simultaneously displayed in the exam room.
As with other members of the Eleva family, OmniDiagnost Eleva integrates into hospital information systems to automatically adjust system parameters to clinicians' specific preferences, helping increase departmental output. Philips unique scan principle enables the X-ray beam to move around patients, who remain stationary during procedures thus enhancing their comfort and safety.
DigitalDiagnost - multi-purpose single detector solution
Also at ECR 2004, Philips will showcase the new single-detector solution of the DigitalDiagnost portfolio. DigitalDiagnost is Philips state-of-the art digital radiography imaging system that covers all general RAD examinations. The leading detector on the market with the most advanced image processing capabilities, in combination with excellent ergonomics, provides outstanding image quality and a seamless workflow.
A milestone within the Philips DigitalDiagnost portfolio, the new single-detector solution's main success factor is the flexible detector carrier, which is mounted on a moveable column that works in combination with a single sided suspended table or a single side moveable trolley. The system resultantly offers a cost-effective solution for all kinds of radiography applications including under table, lateral projections and full wallstand capability.
Diamond Select Program
Finally, for high-quality, refurbished imaging equipment, Philips is introducing its new Diamond Select Program. Diamond Select team members hand-select the best Philips equipment in the field for full refurbishment and resale as Diamond Select systems. With new refurbishing facilities in Cleveland, Ohio and Veldhoven, the Netherlands, and a new refurbishment process, Philips will deliver "like new" equipment to a broader range of customers. The Diamond Select product offering covers nearly all of the Philips modalities and comes with a full Philips warranty. The systems are upgraded to the most current software releases keeping the operating technology up-to-date. The Diamond Select program will allow Philips to provide top quality systems to an even wider range of customers; for example, smaller hospitals and clinics where new technology was previously cost prohibitive.
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of $32.8 billion (EUR 29 billion) in 2003. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 164,500 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter
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