Cardiologists Benefit from High-Level CT Training

November 2006 - Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has announced a new partnership with CVCTA Education and San Francisco Advanced Medical Imaging, a Liberty Pacific Medical Imaging Company, to serve as the company’s newest education and training partner.

LPMI’s San Francisco Advanced Medical Imaging recently installed Toshiba’s Aquilion 64 CFX system, an advanced cardiac CT system and the cornerstone of the program.

The new training program’s curriculum consists of several key elements, including hands-on manipulation and reading of cardiac CT images, daily clinical read-out sessions and online testing applications. It also offers as many as 64 units of continuing medical education credit.

To accommodate physician schedules, the onsite training is comprised of a three-day program with supplemental, post-training materials provided. After the onsite training is completed at San Francisco Advanced Medical Imaging, physicians will be given self-study software that recreates the classroom experience through an interactive diagnostic scoring system, case videos, taped expert interviews and cath correlations. These offsite training elements create a more effective learning experience, allowing physicians to interact with a case.

“The new relationship with Toshiba will allow LPMI and CVCTA Education to create a state-of-the-art training center for physicians worldwide,” said Dr. Tony DeFrance, director of cardiovascular computed tomography angiography (CVCTA) for LPMI and a leading cardiologist in the field of CT angiography (CTA). “As the use of cardiac CT continues its steady climb, it is essential that physicians have the training needed to interpret these complex and informative images. The quality of images rendered by 64-slice CT systems like the Aquilion provide a great deal of information, but if it is not interpreted correctly by a well-trained physician, patients can be at risk.”

The new Toshiba/CVCTA Education Level II training program meets the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Radiology credentialing guidelines for physicians who perform and interpret CTA studies and will give clinicians the tools to better diagnose heart disease at its earliest stages and determine appropriate treatment.