Philips Introduces Advanced Hybrid-Imaging Technology and Expanded Information Management Capabilities to Enhance Diagnosis and Treatment for Cardiac Patients

Philips Medical Systems, a division of Royal Philips Electronics(NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI), is showcasing advances in its portfolio ofleading nuclear cardiology solutions at the American Society ofNuclear Cardiology (ASNC) annual meeting, September 7-9 in Montreal,Canada. The Precedence 64-slice SPECT/CT is the only hybrid-imagingsystem that delivers comprehensive cardiac management on a singleimaging platform, and the latest version of Xcelera extends itspatient-centric approach to image and information management to thenuclear cardiology domain. Philips will also display the GEMINI TFPET/CT system to feature advances in evaluation and analysis ofcardiac disease.

Other highlights include the 1,000th installation of the CardioMDgamma camera and data validating the benefits of computed tomography(CT) angiography.

Hybrid-imaging capabilities of Precedence 64 reinforce Philipsleadership in SPECT/CT

The Precedence family of hybrid-imaging SPECT/CT is one of theindustry's most advanced imaging systems capable of dedicated SPECTand diagnostic CT as well as sophisticated hybrid-imaging. Theintroduction of the 64-slice Precedence advances the capability of theplatform by performing uncompromised cardiac imaging on patients whocan benefit from the imaging procedure.

"CT improves SPECT imaging on multiple levels," said JohnMahmarian, M.D., director of nuclear cardiology at The MethodistHospital in Houston, Texas. "For patients with normal myocardialperfusion scans, equivocal nuclear studies or abnormal myocardialperfusion scans, hybrid SPECT/CT can improve care tremendously byhelping identify early disease states and clarify diagnosticambiguity."

The Precedence 64-slice SPECT/CT can produce CT-based attenuationcorrection and perform advanced cardiac CT procedures such as calciumscoring and CTA in one episode of care, on one system. It can alsoproduce SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in half the time ofconventional scanners.

Xcelera expands into nuclear cardiology domain with newmodalities, integrated workflow and patient-centric work-space design

Philips is introducing a new release of its integratedcardiovascular information solution, the Philips Xcelera R2.1, whichnow integrates exam results from all key cardiology subspecialties -interventional cardiology, cardiovascular ultrasound, ECG, nuclearcardiology, cardiac CT, cardiac MR and electrophysiology. Thisadvanced cardiovascular solution for documentation, viewing,quantification and reporting tasks, provides clinicians with access torelevant images and information on patients across the hospital from asingle workspace.

"Integration is among the most critical necessities facing thecardiovascular world today," said Oran Muduroglu, chief executiveofficer, Healthcare Informatics, for Philips Medical Systems. "Withthis new release of Xcelera, we've streamlined workflow by providinginstant access to all relevant images and information--across allcardiovascular modalities--at one location."

In addition to managing examination results in a patientcentric-manner, the new release of Xcelera also brings a variety ofnew or enhanced clinical and reporting tools for 2D and 3D Echo,Cardiovascular X-Ray, Nuclear Cardiology (powered by AutoQuant), 2Dand 3D Cardiac CT and MR, as well as for managing EP recording andmapping information. The new design of results management andavailability of new and enhanced clinical tools enables cardiacprofessionals to more efficiently diagnose a patient's condition andsubsequently make more informed decisions about the method oftreatment.

Xcelera 2.1 is pending regulatory clearance in the United Statesbut currently available outside North America.

Philips PET technology is creating a new benchmark in theevaluation and analysis of cardiovascular disease

The latest addition to the GEMINI product family, the GEMINI TFPET/CT, combines PET myocardial perfusion and viability data withcoronary artery angiography from CT in a single integratedenvironment. GEMINI TF with TruFlight time-of-flight technologydelivers improved spatial resolution and high sensitivity resulting inimproved image quality when imaging the short-livedradiopharmaceuticals associated with cardiac PET.

The system is available in two configurations: 16-slice and64-channel Brilliance CT. The Brilliance 64-channel CT is well-suitedto cardiac imaging with its wide-coverage submillimeter imaging, ultrafast acquisition times and Rate Responsive image acquisitiontechnology that adapts to the patient's heart rate and rhythm. GEMINITF 16-slice is available in the market today, while full commercialrelease of the GEMINI TF 64-channel is expected in Q4, 2006.

Philips celebrates 1,000th installation of CardioMD worldwide

Launched in 2001 as the first compact fixed-90 nuclear cardiologygamma camera in the industry and now in its third generation, Philipsrecently installed its 1,000th CardioMD system. CardioMD's lightweightdesign and small footprint allow even the smallest practices to obtainfull nuclear cardiac imaging functionality. The patient-friendly opengantry design provides easy patient access and allows claustrophobicpatients to be imaged.

"We found that CardioMD image quality is equal to and at timesbetter than larger field of view gamma cameras when we have imagedpatients with both systems," said Gary Heller, M.D., director ofnuclear cardiology at Hartford Hospital. "We are also using CardioMDwith VantagePro attenuation correction, which works extremely well. Weuse it on a daily basis and our experience has been nothing butpositive."

Study reveals that cardiovascular CT can help patients avoidinvasive catheterization

The Cleveland Clinic recently announced the results of "CoronaryAssessment by Computed Tomographic Scanning & Catheter Angiography(CATSCAN): A Multi-Center Trial(1)," which found that 37 percent ofpatients evaluated who presented coronary disease symptoms could haveavoided catheterization through a CT angiography. The study, which waspublished in the July 26, 2006, issue of the Journal of the AmericanMedical Association, used Philips Brilliance 16-slice cardiovascularCT systems to examine participants.

CATSCAN reveals that cardiovascular CT can help patients avoidinvasive catheterization. The results also indicate that a negativefinding on CTA virtually eliminates the possibility of havingsignificant coronary artery disease, meaning that if no significantnarrowing is seen by CTA, there is good agreement with coronaryangiography.

For more information on Philips products and solutions pleasevisit ASNC booth #508.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI)is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe'slargest, with sales of $37.7 billion (EUR 30.4 billion) in 2005. Withactivities in the three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyleand technology and 158,000 employees in more than 60 countries, it hasmarket leadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patientmonitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting andsilicon system solutions. News from Philips is located atwww.philips.com/newscenter.

(1) Mario J. Garcia, MD, et. al; "Accuracy of 16-Row MultidetectorComputed Tomography for the Assessment of Coronary Artery Stenosis",JAMA, July 26, 2006-Vol 296, No.4) on Computed Tomography Angiography(CTA).