Culver City, CA, 3 April 2007:   KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., a world leader in minimally invasive endoscopic technologies and OR integration, announces the successful installation of fully functional integrated operating rooms combined with intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) capabilities at both Cook Children’s Medical Center (Fort Worth, TX) and Swedish Medical Center (Seattle). The dedicated iMRI neurosurgery suites provide distinct advantages to surgeons performing brain surgeries.

Combining the functionality of the KARL STORZ integrated operating room, OR1^®, with intraoperative MRI technology gives surgeons the ability to perform an MRI scan to provide detailed images of the brain at key points during surgery. The MRI equipment can be used at the same time the procedure is being performed within the operating suite. This allows for more accurate localization and targeting, as well as complete resection of tumors while safeguarding surrounding tissues.

Previously, surgeons could not confirm complete removal of a tumor until the patient had recovered from the procedure. If a post-operative MRI scan then indicated that any portion of the tumor remained, the patient would be required to undergo another surgery.

“These sophisticated installations combining the fully integrated OR and iMRI capabilities provide a revolutionary solution to today’s surgeons,” says Shelly Malone, Marketing Manager OR1^®. “By reducing the likelihood that subsequent procedures will be needed, patients enjoy greater peace of mind, the overall quality of care is enhanced and hospital costs are lower.”

The system at Cook Children’s Medical Center is the first installation of its kind to comprise a fully integrated OR (rather than a cart-based system) and to use all-digital high-definition (HD) video technology. All images, including PACS, vital signs, endoscope and microscope images, utilize the highest native resolutions. The hospital’s Image 1^® HD video cameras and display provide true HD with 1080p signaling.

The installation at Swedish Medical Center is similar to the one at Cook Children’s Medical Center, except the magnet is fixed in the operative field. Both solutions use fiber technology to eliminate interference with the MRI magnet.

“The innovative technologies now in place at these institutions may lead to a truly dramatic shift in their approach to minimally invasive therapy techniques,” says Malone, “and will undoubtedly lead to the development of new surgical strategies and approaches.”

KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc. is an affiliate of KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, an international leader for over 60 years in reusable endoscope technology, encompassing all endoscopic specialties. Based in Tuttlingen, Germany, KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned company that designs, engineers, manufactures and markets all its products with an emphasis on visionary design, precision craftsmanship and clinical effectiveness. For more information, call (800) 421-0837 or visit the company’s Web site at www.karlstorz.com.