The Helena Cardiology Clinic of Helena, Montana has installed two Toshiba Aplio Artida ultrasound systems with 3D Wall Motion Tracking capabilities. 3D Wall Motion Tracking allows sonographers and physicians to more quickly and accurately identify wall motion defects and the timing of cardiac events. This greatly improves the detection of wall motion abnormalities in many cardiac disease states and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) and helps physicians optimize pace maker settings. Dr. Richard Paustian, owner of the Helena Cardiology Clinic, purchased the Artida specifically for the 3D Wall Motion Tracking capabilities. "This advancement in imaging will enable me to better manage the care of my cardiac patients," said Dr. Paustian. "In addition, these added clinical benefits enable us to expand our service offerings and provide a wider range of patients with advanced treatment." Using Artida's real-time, multi-planar reformatting capabilities, physicians can assess global and regional LV function, including volumetric LV ejection fraction. Arbitrary views of the heart, not available in 2D imaging, are also obtained to help with surgical planning. The 3D Wall Motion Tracking features from Toshiba allow the user to obtain angle-independent, global and regional information about myocardial contraction. It is hoped these features will enable acquisition of additional data that could be of value in echo-guided CRT and in stress echocardiography. "Ensuring that our customers have access to advanced clinical applications to best serve patients is a commitment that Toshiba takes seriously," said Girish Hagan, vice president, Marketing, Toshiba. "We strive to introduce features that continue to improve diagnostic confidence and streamline clinical workflow, so that our customers can best serve patients' needs."