Surgeons Enhance Patient Care

Hatfield, Pa.-September 1, 2004-Imaging Sciences International today announced that the surgical team of Steven A. Guttenberg, D.D.S, M.D., and Robert W. Emery, D.D.S., are the first oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the Washington, D.C. region to implement Imaging Sciences' advanced 3-D imaging technology. The i-CAT(tm) gives dentists and specialists the most complete information on the anatomy of a patient's mouth, face, and jaw areas, which leads to the most accurate treatment and predictable outcomes for dental surgical procedures.

Now, patients who visit the Washington Institute for Mouth, Face, and Jaw Surgery will benefit from having the most advanced 3-D dental imaging technology: Imaging Sciences' i CAT(tm). Drs. Guttenberg and Emery are now using Imaging Sciences' i CAT(tm) as part of their full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery, including extractions; treatment, pathology, and reconstruction of pathology in trauma; orthognathic surgery; implant dentistry and reconstruction; temporomandibular joint surgery; and treatment of temporomandibular joint disease.

"Simply put, the i CAT(tm) dramatically advances patient care," says Dr. Robert Emery, co-director of the Washington Institute for Mouth, Face, and Jaw Surgery, in Washington, D.C. "Our patients like it because it's more convenient, less costly, and uses a significantly lower radiation dose compared to medical CTs. Surgeons like it because it improves treatment planning phenomenally, through far more detailed images. We think it's the biggest recent advance in surgery and dentistry. It's an extraordinary machine."

The comprehensive 3-D images produced by Imaging Sciences' i CAT(tm) are also a valuable tool to patients considering elective procedures. "It's especially helpful when you're trying to show patients the value of a procedure," Dr. Emery says. "The immediate three-dimensional reconstruction allows us to share a visual diagnosis with the patient so they can better understand their treatment options. Only the i CAT(tm) speeds this type of doctor/patient communication, because it produces the images in the office, in just minutes."

In addition, local root canal specialists and endodontists are now sending their patients to the doctors' practice for i CAT scans when trying to isolate the cause of a painful tooth. That's because the i CAT images reveal medical problems much earlier, when they can't be seen using conventional X-ray films or 2-D imaging.

"To see Drs. Guttenberg and Emery utilizing the advanced, 3-D imaging that benefits both their patients and their practice is extremely gratifying. We're excited they are now using our i CAT(tm) system to enhance the way they see patients," says Chris Scharff, Vice President of Sales, Imaging Sciences. "The i CAT(tm) provides their practice with more accurate anatomical information than they could possibly capture with film or traditional scans, without having to inconvenience patients by sending them out to a hospital for CT scans. They can increase patient comfort by sharing the 3-D digital images with them to explain their diagnosis, treatment, and expected outcome, in one convenient visit. No other in-office X-ray imaging system comes close to the i CAT(tm)."

The easy to use i CAT(tm) is a Cone Beam 3-D Dental Imaging System that produces more thorough three-dimensional views of all oral and maxillofacial structures to enhance diagnosis and treatment planning. Patients remain seated in an 'open environment scan', which increases patient comfort, and captures the natural orientation of anatomy. The data is transferred to a computer, typically within one minute, and displayed on an intuitive 3-D mapping tool that allows doctors and technicians to easily format and select desired 'slices' for immediate viewing. Requiring under 60 square feet of office space, the i CAT(tm) creates 3-D images at reduced cost and with less radiation than traditional Fan Beam Computed Tomography systems.