SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY : Toshiba Sells First Magnetic Imaging Diagnostic System to Clinic in Tustin

Toshiba America Medical Systems, a diagnostic equipment manufacturing company based in Tustin, has sold its first magnetic resonance imaging system in Orange County to Vista Imaging Center, a doctor-owned facility in Tustin.

Toshiba’s magnetic resonance imaging system, which has been used for medical diagnosis for two years in Asia, Europe, and South America, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for marketing in the United States in late 1988, said company spokesman Bob McKee. Since then, he said, the system, which sells for about $1.2 million, has been installed in a few U.S. locations. But Toshiba plans to greatly accelerate its sales, McKee said.

“Magnetic resonance is going to be the area of largest growth for Toshiba’s medical business in the next two or three years,” he said.

Magnetic resonance imaging technology, an advanced form of medical photography used to detect tumors and other disorders inside the body, is clearer and provides more data than traditional X-rays, McKee said.