- Neurosurgeon Says Upright MRI Provided an Explanation of Patients’ Symptoms and Other Possibilities of Treatment Not Possible Without It -

          MELVILLE, NEW YORK, February 3, 2005 - FONAR Corporation (NASDAQ-FONR), The MRI Specialist™, announced today it has installed an Upright™ MRI at Great Neck Stand-Up MRI, located at 600 Northern Boulevard in Great Neck, NewYork. The facility is located in close proximity to three major hospitals, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital and St. Francis Hospital.
          “We are delighted with the reception our new Upright™ MRI has received,” said Michael A. Brisman, M.D., and his associates Stephen D. Burstein, M.D., William J. Sonstein, M.D. and Jeffrey A. Brown, M.D., all neurosurgeons at Great Neck Stand-Up MRI.
           “The Upright™ MRI is a unique product and technology that provides the image quality that discerning physicians expect, as well as enables neurosurgeons, like me, to see changes in pathology based on a patient’s position," continued Dr. Brisman. "Moreover, the Upright™ MRI is patient friendly, allowing even the most claustrophobic patients to be scanned without difficulty. As a result, using the FONAR Upright™ MRI gives Great Neck Stand-Up MRI a competitive advantage in an area that already has many MRI machines and facilities.”
          Dr. Brisman continued, “The ability to scan patients in the flexion and extension positions is very significant because it allows us to see the ‘complete picture’ of the patients’ pathology. For example, a cervical (neck) exam of a 57 year-old female in the extension position showed more pathology than an exam in the neutral or flexion position. The stenosis at C3-4 and C4-5, not evident on the flexion or neutral positions, provided us with an explanation of the patient’s symptoms that we were lacking without the extension study. The extension images exhibited stenosis at a higher cervical level than we would have suspected from either the neutral sit or flexion exam.”

Above: The upright-neutral MRI of the cervical spine shows stenosis of the central spinal canal at the C6-7 level. The upright-extension MRI reveals additional levels of stenosis of the central spinal canal at the C3-4 and C4-5 levels. The upright-flexion MRI demonstrates reduction of the central stenosis at the C3-4 and C4-5 levels.

            “Another example is that of a 40 year-old male with low lumbar (back) pain who we scanned in the Upright™ MRI,” said Dr. Brisman. “His scan in the extension position displayed more pathology than the scan in the neutral position. The neutral scan provided no explanation of the patient’s symptoms or a possible treatment. The Upright extension exam exhibited a significant stenosis at L2-3, not visible in the neutral position, which a surgical laminectomy could relieve. Whether or not the patient chooses surgery, the cause of his symptoms is now clear. Once again, this additional information significantly impacted my decision process with respect to his treatment.”

Above: The upright-neutral study (left-hand image) shows minor generalized degenerative disc disease. The upright-extension acquisition (middle image) shows increasing central spinal canal stenosis at the L2-3 level as a result of positional worsening of anterior and posterior protrusive disease, which is relieved on the upright-flexion examination (right-hand image).

           Raymond Damadian, president and founder of FONAR said, “We are pleased to hear Dr. Brisman’s report. Dr. Brisman has had precisely the experience FONAR’s Upright™ MRI was designed to achieve: a complete picture of the pathology relative to the incomplete picture of the recumbent-only MRI, and the opportunity to optimize surgical treatment for a better surgical result.”
           “Dr. Brisman represents another good example of why we believe that the era of Upright™ imaging is truly here,” concluded Dr. Damadian.
           Great Neck Stand-Up MRI is located at 600 Northern Boulevard, Great Neck, NY 11021. To schedule an appointment, please call (516) 478-0004.

About FONAR

FONAR was incorporated in 1978, making it the first, oldest and most experienced MRI manufacturer in the industry. FONAR introduced the world's first commercial MRI in 1980, and went public in 1981. Since its inception, we have installed nearly 300 MRI scanners worldwide. FONAR's stellar product line includes the Upright™ MRI (also known as the Stand-Up™ MRI), the only whole-body MRI that performs Position™ imaging (pMRI™) and scans patients in numerous weight-bearing positions, i.e. standing, sitting, in flexion and extension, as well as the conventional lie-down position. With over 100,000 patients scanned, the patient-friendly Upright™ MRI has a near zero claustrophobic rejection rate by patients. As a FONAR customer states, "If the patient is claustrophobic in this scanner, they'll be claustrophobic in my parking lot." Approximately 85% of patients are scanned sitting while they watch a 42" flat screen TV. Our latest MRI scanner is the FONAR 360™, a room-size recumbent scanner that optimizes openness while facilitating physician access to the patient. FONAR is headquartered on Long Island, New York, and has approximately 500 employees.

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