[May 07, 2011]

PENTAX Medical and Hitachi-Aloka Medical Continues Joint Innovation and Global Leadership in Endoscopic Ultrasound Systems

The PENTAX Medical Company, a healthcare industry leader in endoscopic imaging, and Hitachi (News - Alert)-Aloka Medical, a global leader in ultrasound imaging, recently announced renewed joint collaborative efforts between the two global companies to enable further innovations in the development of Endoscopic Ultrasound Systems (EUS). For years, the Hitachi-Aloka ultrasound systems and PENTAX endoscopic portfolio have formed one of the world's most trusted families of EUS systems. This agreement will continue to grow their long-standing alliance.

"For years, we have used the PENTAX-Hitachi EUS platform due to its high quality imaging and performance for driving quality patient care. Their continued partnership is a great advantage to both companies and the healthcare community," explained Dr. William Brugge, M.D., Director of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Hitachi-Aloka's ultrasound system can be directly rolled into GI labs or endoscopy suites alongside PENTAX endoscopic systems, enabling physicians to more readily incorporate EUS technology into their procedures. Together, Hitachi-Aloka and PENTAX combine to give physicians a platform that helps physicians clearly visualize and potentially increase detection of abnormalities and successfully enable endoscopic therapeutic procedures. The current state-of-the-art systems will be featured the first week of May 2011 at the annual Digestive Disease Week in Chicago, IL.

"The use of EUS has proven to be a great asset in increasing the clinical acumen in endoscopy. With Hitachi-Alok, PENTAX looks forward to offering the technological advances in the field of EUS to our joint customers and the patients they care for," said Chris Japp, President of PENTAX Lifecare, the global parent division of PENTAX Medical.

"We have had a very successful twenty-year relationship with PENTAX, and together we will continue to innovate and bring our most advanced platform to the EUS community," added T. Kawano, Deputy Division Manager, Engineering Operation Division of Hitachi-Aloka Medical.

About the Gastrointestinal Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital

The Gastrointestinal Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital is a multi-faceted department which includes a large clinical healthcare center, many research laboratories and various training programs for clinicians.

At the MGH Digestive Healthcare Center, the most respected and accomplished physicians and surgeons in the world come together from areas of gastroenterology, endoscopy, surgery, radiology and oncology to provide the best care possible. The specialists here employ the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic tools available anywhere in the world to ensure the best outcome for each patient. Working closely with a dedicated staff that includes technologists, nurses, nutritionists and more, our care is unsurpassed with the kind of quality and compassion you can expect from a worldwide leader in health.

For more information, visit www.massgeneral.org.

About Hitachi-Aloka Medical Ltd

On April 1, 2011, a new subsidiary of Hitachi Medical Corporation was born of a business merger agreement with ALOKA CO., LTD. Hitachi Aloka Medical,Ltd., unity of Aloka Co.,Ltd., and the diagnostic ultrasound equipment business of Hitachi Medical Corporation, was established after five years of technical cooperation. The purpose of merger agreement was to make a greater contribution in the field of healthcare for the safety and comfort of individuals and society. With healthcare being one of the Hitachi group's core social innovation businesses, the new Hitachi member with experience and expertise aims to lead the field of medical and analytical equipment.

About PENTAX Medical

Headquartered in Montvale, NJ, PENTAX Medical Company is a division of PENTAX of America, Inc., a consolidated subsidiary of HOYA Corporation. PENTAX Medical Company is an industry leader specializing in the development of video and fiber endoscopy equipment and computer technology/imaging products for diagnostic, therapeutic and research applications in the GI, ENT and Pulmonary medical fields. For more information on the company and its products, visit the company's website at www.pentaxmedical.com.

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