PoleStar N-10 From Odin Medical Technologies Improves Brain Tumor Surgery (Business Wire)A breakthrough in intraoperative Medical Resonance Imaging technology is offering new hope to the more than 185,000 men, women and children in the United States who are diagnosed each year with a brain tumor.- May 07 7:05 AM ET

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Press Release

PoleStar N-10 From Odin Medical Technologies Improves Brain Tumor Surgery

NEWTON, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--May 7, 2001--A breakthrough in intraoperative Medical Resonance Imaging (iMRI) technology is offering new hope to the more than 185,000 men, women and children in the United States who are diagnosed each year with a brain tumor. Called the PoleStar(TM) N-10, the device allows neurosurgeons to take MRI scans in a standard operating room and pinpoint brain tumors with unprecedented clarity, enabling them to treat tumors that just a few years ago may have been considered "inoperable."

By using PoleStar's real-time images of the brain before, during and after a surgical procedure, physicians have up-to-date information that can confirm complete removal of the targeted tumor before the patient leaves the operating room. PoleStar's new vision also allows physicians access to current images that account for "brain shifts" during surgery. Prior to intraoperative MRI, neurosurgeons relied on brain scans taken before the surgery.

Brain Tumor Awareness Week on May 6-12, 2001, marks a public information campaign to increase awareness and understanding of brain tumor disease. According to experts, PoleStar N-10 iMRI technology plays an important role in improving the overall management of these conditions.

"I think that the time for intraoperative MRI has truly come, and Polestar technology can really bring intraoperative MRI to the mainstream of neurosurgery," says Gene Barnett, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic Brain Tumor Center and one of the first PoleStar users. "It allows us to take the standard of care up a notch and perform better, safer surgery. I think the average person would really care if they were having brain surgery."

For patients, the PoleStar gives them the peace of mind knowing that their surgery is truly complete. Other benefits include quicker recovery time, shorter hospital stays, fewer complications and less potential for recurrence.

The PoleStar is currently available in five medical centers around the United States: Beth Israel Medical Center (New York City), The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston), MCP Hahnemann University/Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital (Philadelphia), and University Hospital/New Jersey Medical School (Newark).

Odin Medical Technologies, Ltd. develops, manufactures and commercializes intraoperative MR Imaging systems designed to improve neurosurgical interventions with a special focus on minimally invasive procedures. Located in Newton, MA, Odin Medical Technologies, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Israeli-based Company. For more information, log on to www.odinmed.com.

     For Odin Medical Technologies, Ltd.:
     McB Communications
     Nadine Tosk, 504-483-6957
     Susan McBurney, 504-828-1159