SAN DIEGO, April 16, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Viking Systems, Inc. (OTCBB:VKSY), a designer, manufacturer and marketer of high-performance laparoscopic vision systems for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures, has sold one of the Company's proprietary surgical technology devices, the Viking 3Di Digital Vision System ("Viking 3Di"), to Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), the United States Army's premier medical center on the east coast of the United States. Col. (Dr.) Ernest Lockrow, director of the Telerobotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Center at Walter Reed, recently used the System's 3-D capabilities to successfully perform a hysterectomy, becoming the military's first surgeon to use the new 3-D minimally invasive surgical technology at WRAMC.
The Viking 3Di System purchased by WRAMC will be used by surgeons to perform minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical procedures across several different areas of care, including gynecology, urology, bariatrics and general surgery. With the purchase of the Viking 3Di Digital Vision System, WRAMC, like other leading hospital and surgical facilities worldwide, is addressing the growing demand for advanced technologies that deliver additional critical information to the surgical team in the rapidly growing area of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.
"What the three-dimensional procedure now gives is a camera for each eye, so the surgeon can now see just as he was operating in a general, open procedure," said Dr. Lockrow in a recent article posted on DefenseLink, the official web site for the Department of Defense and the starting point for finding U.S. military information online. "When you're used to operating in two dimensions and then you go to three dimensions, it just makes it so much easier. We actually had a fellow who has not done a lot of laparoscopic surgery and was able to easily grasp the laparoscopic procedure in three dimensions."
Donald E. Tucker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Viking Systems, said, "Viking's 3-D technology is at the forefront of complex minimally invasive surgical techniques. The intra-operative benefits of our state-of-the-art 3-D vision systems are immense - benefiting both patients and surgeons alike. We at Viking are proud to have our 3-D technology being used by leading surgeons, like Dr. Lockrow, to offer our nation's soldiers, their families, and retired veterans the most advanced, high-tech care they deserve. The Viking 3Di technology was originally developed by the military, and consequently we are thrilled that the knowledge extracted from the military's efforts has now come full-circle, to aid those members of the organization that played a part in its very inception."
Mr. Tucker also stated that another key application for the Viking 3Di at WRAMC, is the device's use in conjunction with a computer-assisted robotic surgical system. "This integration offers the entire surgical team even more clarity and precision than with previous robotic-assisted procedures. These two technologies have been demonstrated to complement each other quite well."
The aforementioned article, entitled "Walter Reed Breaks New Ground With 3-D Vision System," is posted on DefenseLink, and can be accessed at the following link http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32678
About Viking Systems, Inc.
Viking Systems, Inc. is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of FDA-cleared, CE-marked, high-performance laparoscopic vision systems. The Company's primary branded product is the 3Di Digital Vision System, an advanced three-dimensional (3-D) vision system used by surgeons for complex minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, with an initial focus on applications in urology, gynecology, bariatrics and general surgery. Viking also manufactures advanced two-dimensional (2-D) 2Di Digital Vision Systems for targeted configurations and channels, as well as 2D cameras and components, sold through strategic partners and OEM programs.
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Viking's goals, its prospects for growth and its marketing efforts. Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: risks related to the effectiveness of its marketing program, its ability to continue to obtain funding, its ability to maintain sales momentum, and costs associated with internal development, partnership and in-licensing activities. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Viking's most recently filed SEC documents, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the headings "Risk Factors." All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Viking undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.