Collaboration for Cardiac Catheterization Imaging

GE Healthcare (Chalfant St. Giles, UK) and Volcano Corp. (Rancho Cordova, CA, USA) have recently announced a significant development and collaboration agreement that is intended to bring the first digital imaging capability to cardiac catheterization labs worldwide.

Under terms of the agreement, GE and Volcano will collaborate to develop a state-of-the-art digital cardiovascular imaging system with fully integrated intravascular ultrasound imaging (IVUS) capabilities. The integration of GE's Innova all-digital x-ray system cath lab system with Volcano's new PC-based IVUS platform will provide interventional cardiologists with a precise view of coronary and peripheral vessel morphology. This visualization capability is intended to assist clinicians in determining the extent of cardiovascular disease and in performing therapeutic procedures such as stent placement. This is also intended to help clinicians determine the length of lesion and stent length.

"GE Healthcare continues its commitment to cardiology by bringing state-of-the-art, clinically-relevant technologies to the cath lab with this latest agreement with Volcano Corporation,” said Laura King, global vice president and General Manager, Interventional, Cardiology, and Surgery of GE Healthcare. "GE has sought opportunities to integrate IVUS technology directly into our award-winning, industry-leading Innova systems. Until the development of Volcano's PC-based IVUS product, this leapfrog in technology has not been possible. We are excited to work with another market leader to bring clinically relevant value to the cath lab.”

Prototypes of the new investigational device were presented at the 17th Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in Washington DC, USA, held October 17-19, 2005.



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