Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare system provides full range of cardiac imaging solutions with multiple TOSHIBA MODALITIES

Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center Limits Radiation and Contrast Dosage Using Toshiba’s Industry Leading Technology

TUSTIN, California . — The diagnosis and subsequent treatment of cardiovascular disease can be accomplished through a variety of medical imaging modalities. Demonstrating the effectiveness of a multi-modality approach, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System created the Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center at its Ryan Ranch outpatient facility in Monterey County, Calif. to provide cardiac disease treatment to its patients with a full suite of imaging equipment from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.

Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System will use the Toshiba Aquilion® ONE computed tomography (CT) system and the VantageTM Atlas magnetic resonance (MR) system to deliver the highest quality of patient care. In addition, Toshiba’s AplioTM Artida ultrasound system is being used by Salinas Valley’s director at his professional practice to further evaluate cardiac patients. The Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center is led by Dr. Timothy Albert, assistant consulting professor of medicine at Duke University. The Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center is the only facility in California to use these Toshiba technologies side-by-side to provide imaging with low doses of contrast and radiation.

“Using a combination of the latest CT, MR and ultrasound technologies allows us to offer the most effective and safest patient care to the community,” said Dr. Albert, director, Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. “When a patient is displaying a specific set of symptoms, we are capable of imaging them right away on the most appropriate system. That way, we can reduce both the contrast and radiation dose a patient receives.”

The Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center acquired the Toshiba Aquilion ONE dynamic volume CT system to perform advanced cardiovascular CT imaging. The Aquilion ONE utilizes 320 ultra-high resolution detector rows (0.5 mm in width) to image the heart in a single gantry rotation. The result is unparalleled in diagnostic imaging today and produces a 4D clinical video showing up to 16 cm of anatomical coverage, enough to capture the entire heart, and show its movement such as blood flow.

“CT is the gold standard for coronary imaging because of the high image resolution and fast acquisition time,” stated Dr. Albert. “The rapid, efficient cardiac imaging and the lower radiation dose of the Aquilion ONE CT system was a perfect fit for the new cardiovascular center. The Aquilion ONE is able to lower radiation dosage by up to 80 percent, making CT imaging safer for patients.”

The Center will use Toshiba’s Vantage Atlas MR system in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and Toshiba’s proprietary contrast-free MR methods to improve patient safety. Unlike some other diagnostic tests, MR shows both anatomy and function, such as blood flow, and is used in analyzing valve structure and heart function. Additionally, MR offers an imaging alternative without any radiation.

“MR has revolutionized the way we look at the heart,” explained Dr. Albert. “New MR technology creates movie-quality images of the heart, which is like the difference between old black and white television versus today’s high-definition television.”

The Center will also take advantage of Toshiba’s industry leading, proprietary contrast-free MR techniques, which include Fresh Blood Imaging (FBI), Contrast-free Improved Angiography (CIA), Time-Spatial Labeling Inversion Pulse (Time-SLIP) and Time and Space Angiography (TSA). The contrast-free protocols are particularly important in imaging vascular disease and patients with kidney dysfunction.

At Dr. Albert’s professional practice, he uses the Toshiba Aplio Artida ultrasound in the evaluation of heart muscle and valve function. The 4D imaging and 3D wall motion tracking create detailed images allowing for the highest levels of diagnostic confidence.

“The work being done by Dr. Albert and Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System will change the way physicians use the full suite of Toshiba systems, including CT, MR and ultrasound to diagnose cardiovascular disease,” said Girish Hagan, vice president, Marketing, Toshiba. “Across the board, Toshiba’s advanced technology is making medical imaging safer for patients by dramatically reducing radiation and eliminating contrast agents in certain procedures.”