IMRISneuro purchased by University of Michigan Health System

WINNIPEG , Jan. 14 /CNW/ - (TSX: IM) - IMRIS Inc. (TSX: IM) ("IMRIS" or the "Company") today announced the sale of IMRISneuro system to The University of Michigan Health System ("UMHS") in Ann Arbor , Michigan.

The IMRISneuro system will be installed at the new state-of-the-art $754 million University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital currently under construction, scheduled to open in 2012. The hospital was ranked among the nation's best pediatric hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 edition of "America's Best Children's Hospitals."

The IMRISneuro system will be an integral part of the Hospital's pediatric operating room facilities and features a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance ("MR") scanner operating in a fully integrated-suite that allows the scanner to move between an operating room and a diagnostic room for sedated patients, providing on-demand imaging during surgical procedures. UMHS is the first hospital in the state to make this technology available to patients.

"The IMRIS system will allow us to bring cutting edge MRI technology into the operating room and obtain brain or spine images in the middle of a surgical procedure," says Karin Muraszko, M.D., F.A.C.S., chair of the Neurosurgery Department at the University of Michigan Health System.

"For a patient undergoing a resection of brain tumor, neurosurgeons can use the appearance, location and texture of the tissue to guide them as to the boundary between tumor cells and normal brain cells," says Hugh Garton , M.D., MHSc, a pediatric neurosurgeon at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. "However, none of these features are completely accurate in terms of what's tumor and what's brain," he adds. "The IMRIS system will let us obtain the best available MRI imaging in the middle of an operation to determine what's going on."

"We think it's going to make a huge difference in caring for patients with brain and spine tumors, those undergoing surgery for other neurological conditions such as epilepsy, and for patients with hydrocephalus," says Muraszko.

"We're also excited by the educational and research opportunities afforded by the IMRIS system," adds Cormac Maher, M.D., pediatric neurosurgeon at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

No other system offers the same degree of safety for both the patient and the surgical environment. IMRISneuro does not require the patient to be transported for scanning, so the optimum position for neurosurgery is never compromised. Clinical workflow and surgical access to the patient is not impacted and the magnet is removed completely from the operating room when scanning is complete. IMRISneuro provides neurosurgeons with timely images during surgery from which they are able to make better decisions for their patients.

About IMRIS

IMRIS (TSX: IM) is a global leader in providing image guided therapy solutions. These solutions feature fully integrated surgical and interventional suites that incorporate magnetic resonance, fluoroscopy and computed tomography to deliver on demand imaging during procedures. The Company's systems serve the neurosurgical, cardiovascular and neurovascular markets and have been selected by leading medical institutions around the world.

About U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital

The U-M Health System is poised to open a 1.1 million square feet, $754 million state of the art facility for children and women in 2012. The new C.S. Mott Children's Hospital will provide a new and larger home for specialty services for newborns, children and women such as the pediatric liver transplant program, Level I Pediatric Trauma Program, Pediatric and Adolescent Home Ventilator Program, and Craniofacial Anomalies Program, high-risk pregnancy services and specialty gynecological services. The new hospital will enhance the inpatient and outpatient services within the current Mott Hospital, the world-renowned Michigan Congenital Heart Center, the Birth Center and the Holden Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Mott is nationally ranked in eight of 10 pediatric specialty areas featured in the U.S. News Media Group's 2009 edition of "America's Best Children's Hospitals.

For further information: Brad Woods, Director Investor Relations, & Corporate Communications, IMRIS Inc., Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]