PHYSICIAN GROUP BUYS 4TH STAND-UP
MRI, 1ST IN OHIO,
AND CONGRATULATES FONAR FOUNDER AND BOWER AWARD WINNER
MELVILLE,
NEW YORK, May 10, 2004 - FONAR Corporation (NASDAQ-FONR), The
MRI Specialist™, announced today that a physician group
from Illinois has purchased its fourth (4th) FONAR Stand Up™
MRI. The scanner will be installed in Knightsbridge Surgery Center
in Columbus, Ohio, and be called Vertical Plus MRI of Columbus.
The group has already purchased Stand-Up™ MRI scanners for
Hazel Crest, Illinois, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, and Sarasota,
Florida. This most recent Stand-Up™ MRI sale is FONAR's
first in the State of Ohio. The physician group expects to purchase
another Stand-Up™ MRI for the Columbus area in the near
future.
Martin
Hall, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with Keystone Orthopedics of
Hazel Crest, Illinois, is a key decision-maker for the group.
"I would like to congratulate Dr. Raymond Damadian (President
and Founder of FONAR) on receiving the Benjamin Franklin Medal
and Bower Award." [On April 29, 2004, The Franklin Institute
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania awarded to Dr. Damadian the Benjamin
Franklin Medal and The Bower Award for Business Leadership in
MRI.] "His impact on the field of MRI has been incredible.
In 1970 he made the discoveries that remain the basis for every
MRI image ever produced. He built the first whole-body MRI, which
made the world's first MRI image in 1977. His company, FONAR,
installed the world's first commercial MRI in 1980 and has contributed
continuously to the industry's technological advances, including
the first mobile MRI (1985), Open MRI technology (1982), high-field
Open MRI (1995), and the Stand-Up(TM) MRI, the world's only Upright(TM)
Imaging scanner (1997). No other MRI company can match Dr. Damadian's
and FONAR's leadership and technological contributions."
David
Terry, Senior Vice President of FONAR said, "We are thankful
for customers like Dr. Hall who appreciate Dr. Damadian's success.
The MRI field has changed dramatically. Dr. Damadian's first MRI
scan in 1977 took nearly 5 hours to complete. Today, a complete
study on the Stand-Up™ MRI typically takes 20 minutes. The
MRI industry has become very competitive. While competitor scanners
may perform very well, there are certain problems that only the
Stand-Up™ MRI can detect. This gives us a unique advantage
in the marketplace."
Mr.
Bear Roalsen, another key spokesman for the physician group, said,
"I also congratulate Dr. Damadian. It just adds to my enthusiasm
for the Stand-Up™ MRI. The Stand-Up™ MRI adds immeasurably
to a physician's understanding of his patient's pathology. Now
that I have been exposed to the concept of Upright Imaging™,
it seems so obvious. The Stand-Up™ MRI also provides a level
of comfort that cannot be found with any other scanner. This combination
of features makes Stand-Up™ MRI scanning centers a very
attractive business venture."
The
FONAR Stand-Up™ MRI is the world's only MRI that can perform
Position Imaging™ (pMRI™), i.e. patients can be scanned
sitting, standing, bending, in flexion and extension, or in the
conventional recumbent position. The Stand-Up™ MRI's unique
ability to scan patients in weight-bearing positions and to scan
patients in their positions of pain or symptoms, has enabled it
to detect pathology that went undetected by traditional recumbent
MRI scanners. In addition, it is the most patient-friendly MRI
in the industry, with a near-zero claustrophobic rejection rate
by patients.