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Professional Association Collaborations Underwrite Education
March 1, 2010
For nearly 20 years, Toshiba America Medical Systems has been a vanguard-level sponsor of the RSNA’s Research and Education Foundation, which funds grants for young researchers in the imaging field. Since its inception 26 years ago, the foundation has provided more than $25 million in grants to 630 radiology investigators and educators. “These grants align with Toshiba’s focus on education and research,” Cathy Wolfe, director of marketing services for Toshiba, explains.
Toshiba’s education-focused collaboration with professional associations has expanded in the past few years to include the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management. The company sponsors the AHRA’s Putting Patients First Program, and has completed its second round of grant giving. The program seeks to improve the safety and quality of care in imaging both pediatric and adult patients. Putting Patients First provides six grants of up to $7,500 per year to hospitals and imaging centers to help fund programs, training, or seminars focused in this area.
In 2008, one such project involved developing a patient-handoff system to facilitate transferring patients from the hospital to the imaging department. Another looked at creating a bar-code system for identifying patients with allergies to contrast media. All grant recipients agree to share their results with others so that facilities around the country have the ability to implement similar systems, according to Ed Cronin, executive director of AHRA. Cronin notes that one of the 2008 recipients developed a seminar to present to other hospitals in the region; others wrote articles on their results for the AHRA’s journal, Radiology Management.
A similar partnership with ACHE gives a boost to midlevel managers who aspire to be leaders in the radiology field. Beginning this year, Toshiba will sponsor scholarships for 60 executives to attend a series of three leadership seminars throughout 2010, 2011 and 2012. “This is a program we developed several years ago to help middle managers move into roles in the C-suite,” Peggy Gordon, vice president of development at ACHE, explains. “It’s very intensive. The seminars happen three times a year, for three days at a time and are given by a very distinguished roster of faculty teaching management and leadership.”
The first 2010 seminar occurs in June and focuses on establishing leadership; the second takes place in August and looks at innovation and overcoming the financial challenges facing the health care industry; and the third, themed Manage for the Future, is slated for October. “Part of the reason for participating in the ACHE program is helping to strengthen health care leadership through quality education,” Wolfe says. “ACHE is an impressive organization in terms of its mission and vision, and of its focus on integrity, which we thought was a good fit with Toshiba.”
Through a fourth, emerging partnership with the Society for Pediatric Radiology, Toshiba has helped the organization develop a survey to address the concerns of pediatric radiologists. “We try to look at ways to collaborate that are more unique, that provide new benefits to the organization and an opportunity for differentiation,” Wolfe says. “We believe in investing in the industry in which we work, and one of the best ways to do that is to help ensure ongoing education of the membership.”
Finally, Toshiba is continuing its support of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography’s (SCCT) Young Investigator Awards. The SCCT is the leading international professional society dedicated to research, education and clinical excellence in cardiovascular computed tomography (CT), and is now accepting submissions for the fourth annual awards program. Sponsored by Toshiba, the unrestricted educational grants will be awarded to two residents or fellows in either radiology or cardiology for their patient care research in the categories of technical and clinical advancement of cardiovascular CT. The deadline for submissions is April 2, 2010. Abstracts are being accepted in two categories – Technology of Cardiovascular CT, or Clinical Applications of Cardiovascular CT. Applicants may enter by submitting an abstract through the SCCT Web site.
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The Drive for Efficiency in Imaging
December 7, 2009
While efficiency has always been important in health care, the changes we see in today’s environment are requiring the medical community to be even more diligent. Many are starting to recognize that the right equipment can make important differences. At this year’s RSNA, Toshiba showcased how its systems are helping health care professionals meet the demands for efficiency without sacrificing quality.
Magnetic Resonance
The patient-focused features of the Vantage Titan™ improve exam efficiency and accuracy while mitigating issues around imaging claustrophobic and bariatric patients. The Vantage Titan features a large 71-cm aperture open bore and offers the industry’s largest clinical field-of-view (55×55×50 cm). The bore’s diameter enables technologists to scan patients with greater ease and reduces the feeling of claustrophobia. Toshiba’s patented Pianissimo™ technology, which reduces acoustic noise by as much as 90 percent, is also increasing the comfort level of patients during exams. Improving comfort level is critical because it often reduces the need for re-scans, thus improving efficiency.
St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, Wash., has experienced these benefits first hand. “The Toshiba Titan has been the workhorse MR system for us and is able to accommodate the wide variety of MR exams we perform each day,” said Gary Leslie, MRI technologist at St. Anthony. “We are imaging multiple patients a day and have received direct patient feedback that the system is quieter and feels less claustrophobic than other MR systems. This has helped us to greatly improve exam efficiency and department throughput.”
Additionally, the system’s Atlas integrated coils allow physicians to perform multiple exams without repositioning the patient and also enable feet-first imaging for feet-to-shoulder exams. This means a more comfortable exam experience and results in enhanced workflow and technologist productivity. Also, Toshiba’s SPEEDER parallel imaging allows for increased acquisition speed and reduced examination times.
X-ray
Today’s emergency departments are challenged to provide rapid, accurate diagnoses for a variety of patient conditions when time is of the essence. Toshiba’s RADREX™-i digital radiographic system is designed to provide the features emergency departments require to offer the highest level of patient care.
The comprehensive RADREX-i offers a 600-lb. table weight limit, 600 kHU X-ray tube and an 80-kilowatt generator, allowing hospitals to image a variety of patients, including bariatric. The X-ray system enhances workflow with the RexView, a color LCD screen located on the overhead tube crane (OTC). Since the image appears on the OTC, technologists have immediate access to review the image and determine if they have what is needed for diagnosis, ultimately reducing exam time and increasing the chance of a positive patient outcome.
The RADREX-i’s automated features also save time in emergency settings by automating exam selection and X-ray positioning. These features include:
- Auto-tracking to eliminate the need to manually position the X-ray tube detector by providing synchronization for table and wall-stand tracking
- Auto-collimation to save crucial time for the patient and technologist by automatically selecting the correct collimation size for the patient’s body part
- Auto-program to eliminate the need for the technologist to manually select the program on the generator by automatically selecting the correct program
- Auto-center stop to provide visual guidance for fast, simple detector centering
St. Luke’s Community Hospital in Ronan, Mont. uses the RADREX-i in its emergency department.
“When treating emergency patients, acting quickly is critical,” said Steve Sivak, radiology manager, St. Luke Community Hospital. “The advanced features of the RADREX-i help us streamline workflow and accelerate throughput, providing a tremendous benefit to patients when time is limited.”
Ultrasound
Many hand-carried ultrasound systems offer better access to patients when space is compromised, but cannot provide all of the advanced radiology capabilities required to perform exams in today’s demanding ultrasound environment. Toshiba’s new works-in-progress Viamo™ ultrasound system meets the needs of today’s hospitals by combining portability with high-end radiology features. Viamo is the industry’s no compromise ultrasound system with advanced radiology capabilities, previously unavailable on hand carried systems.
The Viamo combines the portability of a laptop system with advanced radiology features to deliver outstanding image quality, enhance diagnostic confidence and improve ease-of-use. Developed from a radiology foundation, Toshiba’s Viamo provides the confidence to image patients at bedside, which generally require larger, more expensive cart-based systems. When an immobile patient needs a high-end ultrasound exam, the portable Viamo laptop ultrasound is brought to the patient to improve the patient’s comfort without compromising exam quality.
The new Toshiba Viamo laptop ultrasound system offers:
- Best-in-class imaging capabilities in a laptop size, making it ideal for high-end radiology, vascular, emergency and OB/GYN exams, even at bedside. For example, Viamo is beneficial during liver transplants when medical personnel must image the anastomoses to assess blood flow through the vessels.
- Excellent image quality and color flow comparable to larger, more expensive cart-based systems.
- Ease-of-use with a simple touch-screen interface that is programmable in panel or tablet modes.
- Ability to interchange Toshiba transducers while using the Viamo’s transportation pole, thus improving productivity and flexibility, while saving health care costs by reducing the need to purchase multiple transducers. This unique feature improves productivity and saves money for current customers by using their existing Toshiba transducers on the Viamo. Additionally, new customers are able to use Viamo transducers with other Toshiba ultrasound systems they may purchase in the future.
Computed Tomography
Overall, Toshiba’s Aquilion® line continues to be focused on exam efficiency and the company has added several new features to help the medical community. The Aquilion line comes with a host of SURETechnologies that automate parts of the exam, which not only provides efficiencies, but also safer exams. For example, Variable Helical Pitch (vHP) ensures greater workflow efficiency by enabling physicians to complete an exam of more than one anatomical region consecutively – i.e. without stopping to alter the helical pitch of the exam. Toshiba’s CT line also features items like the iStation, a screen on the gantry that provides automatic exam feedback to the technologist, and a table with a 660-lb. weight limit that also lowers within inches of the ground, enabling patients to sit on the table more easily.
While the entire Aquilion line boasts efficiencies, Toshiba’s Aquilion® ONE is designed for today’s health care environment because it can streamline workflow by providing a more accurate, complete and timely diagnosis with one exam. The Aquilion ONE can image a patient in 0.35 seconds, whereas conventional helical CTs can take four or five seconds, approximately 10 to 12 times slower. Beyond its fast acquisition time, the Aquilion ONE can replace several tests with one exam, eliminating the time, cost and staff required to perform additional unnecessary exams. It also allows physicians to treat at-risk patients immediately and send healthy patients home without additional testing and staff support.
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Beyond Comfort: The Importance of Patient-friendly Features
When patients have to have any diagnostic imaging exam, they are understandably nervous. Often times the anxiety they feel comes from thinking that a particular exam is going to be difficult, time consuming or uncomfortable. Toshiba has developed its technology with patients in mind and incorporates many patient friendly features into its systems. At this year’s RSNA, Toshiba highlighted its patient friendly features.
Magnetic Resonance
For patients undergoing an MR exam, discomfort from claustrophobia and the loud noise of the magnet are among the highest complaints. To address this, Toshiba developed the Vantage TitanTM MR, which features a large 71-cm aperture and open bore, offering the industry’s largest clinical field-of-view (55×55×50 cm). The bore’s diameter reduces the feeling of claustrophobia. Titan’s ultra short, open bore was designed to increase comfort and improve the imaging of all patients, especially those who are claustrophobic and/or bariatric. The open bore’s larger diameter enables facilities to scan bariatric patients with greater ease and provides patients with a greater feeling of openness to reduce claustrophobia.
Toshiba’s PianissimoTM technology reduces noise by up to 90 percent, making Toshiba’s MR systems the quietest available. Since the patient experiences lower noise levels with Pianissimo, patients stay more relaxed during exams and fewer motion artifacts are acquired, which helps improve image quality. Useful for imaging pediatric patients, Pianissimo helps technologists image patients more successfully and reduces repeat exams.
With all of the concern surrounding gadolinium, Toshiba’s proprietary contrast-free MRA techniques enable safer MRA imaging of patients with known renal compromise. These techniques include Fresh Blood Imaging (FBI) for evaluating peripheral vascular diseases of the lower legs and extremities; Contrast-free Improved Angiography (CIA) for easier visualization of smaller vessels; Time-Spatial Labeling Inversion Pulse (Time-SLIP) for evaluating hemodynamic, functional assessments, and visualization of vascular structures; and Time Space Angiography (TSA) to create non-contrast time-resolved imaging with high temporal resolution. Contrast-free techniques are safer for patients with renal conditions and require less set-up time, so the overall MR exam is completed faster, without compromising image quality.
Computed Tomography
The Aquilion® ONE was specifically developed with patients in mind. Not only is the comprehensive exam much faster than traditional CT exams – 0.35 seconds versus conventional helical CTs that can take approximately 10 to 12 times longer – but also radiation exposure is dramatically reduced because of volume acquisition. These patient benefits are especially important during neuro and pediatric procedures.
When a patient comes to a hospital’s emergency department exhibiting stroke symptoms, it can take hours to diagnose and treat the patient when time is of the essence. Toshiba’s Aquilion ONE dynamic volume CT system has the ability to improve the quality of life for patients with neurological symptoms, especially related to stroke, by reducing diagnosis time to minutes. In fact, the system allows physicians to reduce diagnosis time for life-threatening conditions, such as a stroke, from hours or days to minutes. Unlike any other CT system available, the Aquilion ONE covers up to 16 cm of anatomy using 320 ultra high resolution 0.5 mm detector elements to image an entire organ, including the brain, in a single rotation. It can show the organ’s dynamic blood flow and real-time function. The ability to see dynamic function, such as blood flowing through the brain, is critical for stroke patients in emergency settings and enables rapid and accurate diagnosis when time is critical.
Another reason to select dynamic volume CT is for its pediatric applications. The Aquilion ONE can significantly lower patient radiation dose exposure and decrease the sedation needed for exams. Traditionally, when children are imaged using multi-detector CT, sedation is required to keep the patient still long enough to obtain a clear diagnostic image. The Aquilion ONE’s fast exam time means less patient sedation is required. The system also features Toshiba’s SUREExposure™ Pediatric software, which automatically takes inputs on the size and age of each patient and tailors radiation dose to achieve the best and safest image quality for each exam. The software uses protocols selected based on the patient’s age, size and type of exam to ensure patients receive only the radiation required to obtain a clear diagnostic image. SUREExposure Pediatric software comes standard on all Aquilion products.
X-ray Vascular
CT is not the only modality in which radiation is a concern. Toshiba’s Infinix-i product line incorporates features that help to reduce exposure. For example, the systems come with fluoro dose level settings and fluoro pulse rate settings. Toshiba offers the industry’s widest range of pulse rates, which means that physicians have the ability to reduce flyoro pulse rate and fluoro dose level in an exam, providing two quick methods of reducing radiation exposure to the patient. Additionally, Toshiba’s lateral plane variable isocenter on its biplane systems saves time and exposure. During biplane positioning, the user will fluoro frontal plane and adjust table panning to center the part of interest. Next, they will fluoro the lateral plane and adjust lateral isocenter to match the frontal set-up. No additional fluoro is needed. Not only does this cut down on fluoro exposure, but it also speeds the exam time, reducing the risk to the patient.
Infinix-i systems also provide the greatest anatomical coverage and patient access in the industry, providing more efficient and safer patient care. Greater anatomical coverage means that the system moves around the patient, rather than moving the patient. Moving the patient can introduce greater risk.
The Infinix-i’s tables also are more patient friendly. Not only are the systems’ table weights the highest in the industry at 550 lbs., but also the tables include thicker pads complete with Tempur-Pedic® technology, making extended procedures more comfortable. Also, the new the CAT-880B hybrid catheterization table introduced at RSNA offers the lowest table top height of any catheterization table in the industry. Toshiba has even introduced accessories that expand the width of the system tables to accommodate larger patients and make the exams more comfortable.
Ultrasound
The move toward portability in ultrasound is helping physicians deliver more comfortable patient care. The ability to bring a diagnostic imaging system to the patient can often mean that someone already in discomfort does not have to be moved in order to be scanned.
In addition to the Viamo handheld system, Toshiba has continued its focus on portability by introducing the Aplio MX. Thirty percent lighter than traditional cart-based systems, the Aplio MX enables hospitals to complete advanced ultrasound exams, usually performed with larger systems, on a more portable system without sacrificing quality. Furthermore, it enables medical staff to easily bring the system directly to the point-of-care. For example, if someone is on a gurney and should not be moved, medical professionals can easily transport the MX to the patient’s location and get a high quality exam.
Toshiba’s Aplio MX ultrasound system includes:
- 4D imaging to produce high resolution renderings and arbitrary volume cuts in real-time or offline allowing virtual reconstruction in formats similar to CT and MRI.
- Differential Tissue Harmonic Imaging for better imaging of difficult-to-image patients, like bariatric, without sacrificing resolution to give superior border and tissue definition.
- ApliPure to enhance both image clarity and detail definition with real-time compounding technology to simultaneously perform spatial and frequency compounding during transmitting and receiving.
- Advanced Dynamic Flow to provide color Doppler imaging at an unprecedented level and show flow with directional information for even the smallest vessels.
- Precision Imaging to provide more detailed ultrasound images by capturing information from multiple lines to improve definition of the structure and minimizing noise and clutter.
- Elastography to enable a non-invasive medical imaging technique that evaluates tumors based on their stiffness (elasticity) compared to normal tissue.
- MicroPure to help physicians detect micro-calcifications using ultrasound, an imaging technique that is less strenuous on the technician and the patient than mammography, the current gold standard.
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RSNA 2009 Press Releases
Clinical Experiences Shared by World-Renowned Physicians at 2008 RSNA
December 1, 2008
Although professional attendance was down slightly, the science was strong at the Radiological Society of North America’s (RSNA) Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting. Physicians from around the world continue to gather in Chicago to share their clinical experiences with each other. At the 94th meeting held earlier this month, Toshiba worked with innovative physicians to ensure that collaboration extended beyond the session hours by holding evening events where leading physicians were able to present their validation of imaging technology.
This year Toshiba’s Ultrasound (UL) and Magnetic Resonance (MR) modalities introduced new techniques and equipment dedicated to improving women’s imaging. In conjunction, Toshiba sponsored an evening event where physicians shared how Toshiba’s technology is helping women.
Pamela M. Otto, M.D., professor and director of Breast Imaging & Intervention, Department of Radiology, UT Health Science Center & University Health System, San Antonio discussed her experiences with Toshiba’s newRadiance Plus Breast Imaging Coil, which optimizes Magnetic Resonance Mammography (MRM) on the Toshiba Vantage systems. In fact, this coil enabled Dr. Otto to conduct the first contrast-free breast MRA exams. Toshiba is a pioneer in contrast-free MRA techniques, and now plans to develop a sequence that will enable contrast-free breast MR exams.
Ellen B. Mendelson, M.D., F.A.C.R., Northwestern University and Thomas Fischer, M.D., Charite Hospital, University of Berlin presented their experiences with Toshiba’s ultrasound technology. Both discussedToshiba’s new and exclusive ultrasound technique — MicroPure™, which helps physicians detect breast lesions and micro-calcifications more clearly, as well the sonoelastography suite, ElastoQ (works-in-progress), a non-invasive medical imaging technique that evaluates tumors based on their stiffness (elasticity) compared to normal tissue. Both of these Toshiba collaborators presented cases that provided insight on ultrasound’s future as an effective tool for diagnosing breast disease.
At a CT event the same evening, Frank J. Rybicki, M.D., Ph.D., director, Cardiac CT & Vascular CT/MRI, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and William W. Orrison, M.D., MBA chief of neuroradiology, Nevada Imaging Centers shared their experiences with the Aquilion® ONE 320 detector row CT.
Dr. Rybicki provided insights into key research that has been completed on the Aquilion ONE over the last year. For the first time, CT can now visualize how the cardiac vessels curve and measure flow dynamically within the vessels. He also discussed Brigham and Women’s work on the recently announced CORE 320 worldwide multicenter trial that will compare dynamic volume CT to SPECT for evaluating myocardial perfusion.
Dr. Orrison has completed more than 3,500 patient studies on the Aquilion ONE and shared the way this technology is changing his practice. Not only did Dr. Orrison showcase his whole brain perfusion studies, but he also showed advanced dynamic motion studies of musculoskeletal anatomy, which were clinically used for surgery planning and follow up.
Expanded Opportunities at RSNA 2008
November 1, 2008
Every year, the RSNA Board of Directors modifies the annual meeting program to align with the needs of the radiological community. This year’s program features a number of expanded opportunities for dialogue and education, including a special ‘Japan Presents’ Integrated Science and Practice (ISP) Session in conjunction with the Japan Radiological Society.
The constantly evolving nature of the annual meeting helps keep healthcare professionals coming back to Chicago, and this year attendance is projected to expand again with pre-registration running 3% ahead of 2007.
In addition to more people, the 2008 RSNA also features more exhibit space than ever before with an expansion from two exhibit halls at McCormick to three, so there will be more to see, more to do, and more real-estate to cover. To make sure you know the room assignments for the sessions, floor plans for each building, as well as the shuttle bus schedule, the official RSNA 2008 Pocket Guide is available for download and review.
Technology to Expand Opportunity
While you’re at the RSNA, we invite you to stop by the Toshiba exhibit (#3429, Hall A) and discuss new technological enhancements to improve patient care. Last year, Toshiba launched the world’s first dynamic volume CT system — the Aquilion® ONE. This year in Toshiba’s exhibit, you can discover how the unique capabilities of the 320 detector row Aquilion ONE are bringing positive changes to patient care around the world.
Recent enhancements in Ultrasound and MR breast imaging techniques produce new opportunities to enhance women’s health. Although Mammography is still the gold standard for detecting micro-calcifications in the breast, Toshiba’s new, proprietary ultrasound technology called MicroPure™, can help identify and eventually characterize these micro-calcifications. MicroPure and new Elastography (works-in progress) techniques will be showcased in the ultrasound portion of Toshiba’s exhibit, as well as in a Monday evening non-RSNA Satellite Symposium.
Recent clinical experience with the Radiance Plus Breast Imaging Suite (works-in-progress) will also be highlighted during the Monday evening symposia. For a closer view of the Radiance Plus Suite, demonstrated on Toshiba’s Vantage™ Atlas and Vantage Titan™ MR systems, please stop by and see us in the South Building.
Radiographers in today’s healthcare systems are looking for help to streamline these critical radiological procedures. Toshiba’s exhibit at the 2008 RSNA will feature the RADREXTM-i, with high-resolution detectors to help ensure the best image quality at the lowest possible dose. RADREX-i includes a number of time saving features to assure you get the maximum productivity for your department.
While you are exploring the expanded exhibit floor at RSNA this year, please stop by Toshiba (#3429, Hall A). We look forward to discussing your challenges and exploring opportunities to help you enhance patient care in your community.